See https://www.efta.int/eea/eea-agreement and in particular https://www.eftasurv.int/competition/competition-rules-in-the-eea/legal-framework-and-guidance. ESA's jurisdiction is the area covered by the Agreement on the European Economic Area. ESA enforces the EEA competition rules in cooperation with the European Commission, focusing on Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. ESA has equivalent powers and similar functions to those of the European Commission and is independent of the States over which it has jurisdiction (see Legal framework & guidance).  There is a system of cooperation in place between ESA and the national competition authorities/the national courts of the EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and between ESA and the European Commission to ensure a uniform application of the EEA competition rules (see National cooperation and EEA cooperation). Cooperating on matters of legal interpretation is important to a cohesive EEA in which consumers and businesses can have confidence in a common set of rules. In the field of merger control, the rules on jurisdiction are generally that the European Commission is the competent authority for assessing mergers under the EEA Agreement. However, ESA and the EEA EFTA States remain informed and involved by virtue of the EEA cooperation rules.