Med hensyn til EFTA-ansøgerlandene har EØS-aftalen beredt vejen for indledning af forhandlinger om udvidelse, og Det Europæiske Råd i Lissabon henstillede derfor til institutionerne, at de skulle fremme det forberedende arbejde, idet det præciserede, at de officielle forhandlinger ville blive indledt umiddelbart efter, at traktaten om Den Europæiske Union var ratificeret, og der var opnået enighed om Delors Il-pakken.
With reference to the EFTA countries seeking membership, the European Council in Lisbon considered that the EEA Agreement had paved the way for opening enlargement negotiations and invited the institutions to speed up the preparatory work, stating that the official negotiations would be opened immediately after the Treaty on European Union was ratified and agreement achieved on the Delors II package.