It was not renamed to the EEA, in practice or otherwise. The EEA is a geographic part of Europe based on an agreement between the EFTA, the EU, and the various member states. The EEC was a supranational organisation with a whole internal structure (council, parliament, etc). They are not even the same kind of entity.
You can argue about the roles of these different bodies and how some of them were superseded by some others. Although non-EU, EEA member states are outside both the CPA and the CFP, which were cornerstones of the EEC. The EEA is not some mythical, ideologically pure version of the EU as it was back when it was only a common market (it never was). It’s a completely different thing. It was initially a way of functioning for countries that wanted to be close to the EC, but not too close. Saying that the EEA is the EEC renamed is plainly, factually wrong.
The EEC was renamed the EC and disappeared in 2009, at which point the EEA had been existing for 15 years.
It was not renamed to the EEA, in practice or otherwise. The EEA is a geographic part of Europe based on an agreement between the EFTA, the EU, and the various member states. The EEC was a supranational organisation with a whole internal structure (council, parliament, etc). They are not even the same kind of entity.
You can argue about the roles of these different bodies and how some of them were superseded by some others. Although non-EU, EEA member states are outside both the CPA and the CFP, which were cornerstones of the EEC. The EEA is not some mythical, ideologically pure version of the EU as it was back when it was only a common market (it never was). It’s a completely different thing. It was initially a way of functioning for countries that wanted to be close to the EC, but not too close. Saying that the EEA is the EEC renamed is plainly, factually wrong.
The EEC was renamed the EC and disappeared in 2009, at which point the EEA had been existing for 15 years.