EEE Regulations 2025: What Changes for Digital Platforms and Telecommunications

Key data

Companies operating in the European digital single market have had a new regulatory framework to consider since December 5, 2025. The Decision 308/2025 of the EEE Joint Committee modifies Annex XI of the EEE Agreement, which regulates electronic communication, audiovisual services and the information society, and incorporates new EU regulation in these areas.

The practical effect is clear: what was previously mandatory only within the EU now also applies in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. For any company providing digital or audiovisual services in the EEE area, this means reviewing regulatory compliance in those three markets.

What does this regulation establish?

The EEE Agreement allows Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to participate in the European single market without being EU members. For this to work, the EEE Joint Committee periodically updates the annexes of the agreement to incorporate new European legislation as it is approved.

In this case, Decision 308/2025 updates Annex XI, which covers three major areas:

• Electronic communication: regulation of telecommunications operators, networks and electronic communication services.
• Audiovisual services: video-on-demand platforms, broadcasters and audiovisual content distributors.
• Information society: digital services in the broad sense, including online platforms and e-commerce.

The decision ensures regulatory homogeneity in the expanded digital internal market. In practice, it means that the three non-EU countries of the EEE must apply the same European digital rules as EU member states.

Economic and operational impact

The main impact is not a direct cost in the form of a specific fee or penalty included in this decision, but rather a regulatory adaptation cost for companies that until now operated in Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein under a framework different from the European one.

The most relevant operational implications are:

• Review of contracts and terms of service to adapt them to European requirements in the three non-EU EEE countries.
• Update of compliance systems to include Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein in the same framework as EU countries.
• Possible review of licenses and authorizations to operate telecommunications or audiovisual services in these territories.
• Alignment of privacy policies and data processing with updated European digital standards.

For companies that already operated with a unified European compliance framework, the impact may be minimal. For those that managed Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein as markets with differentiated regulation, the adaptation may require significant internal review.

Who does it affect?

Decision 308/2025 directly affects the following companies and organizations:

• Telecommunications operators providing services in Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
• Digital platforms (marketplaces, social networks, online intermediation services) with activity in the EEE area.
• Audiovisual service providers: streaming platforms, video-on-demand, online broadcasters with audiences in the three non-EU EEE countries.
• E-commerce companies operating in the expanded European digital single market.
• Information society service providers with presence in Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein.
• Legal and compliance advisors managing digital compliance for companies with activity in the EEE.

Practical example

A Spanish streaming platform that broadcasts audiovisual content throughout Europe, including Norway, must review whether its regulatory compliance model in that country already incorporates the updated requirements of Annex XI of the EEE Agreement.

Until Decision 308/2025, there could be a gap between what the platform applied in its EU markets and what it applied in Norway. With this decision, Norway must apply the same European digital regulation as Spain, France or Germany. If the platform managed Norway with differentiated terms of service or content policies, it will need to align them with the updated European framework.

The same applies to a telecommunications operator offering services in Iceland or Liechtenstein: its local regulatory framework must now reflect the European requirements incorporated in the updated Annex XI.

What should companies do now?

1. Identify if you operate in Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein with telecommunications services, digital platforms or audiovisual content. If you have no presence in these markets, this decision does not directly affect you.
2. Review your digital regulatory compliance framework to verify whether it already includes these three countries under the same standard as EU markets or if you manage them with a differentiated framework.
3. Consult with your legal or compliance team about what specific European regulation has been incorporated into Annex XI with this decision, as Decision 308/2025 incorporates new EU legislation whose full details are in the official text.
4. Update contracts, terms of service and internal policies that apply to non-EU EEE markets to align them with updated European requirements.
5. Monitor future updates from the EEE Joint Committee, as these types of decisions are adopted periodically and may affect other annexes of the EEE Agreement relevant to your sector.