Andorran Businesses Accelerate Digital Transformation Amid Legal Challenges

Oriol Giró, founding partner of Emindset Law—a firm specializing in commercial, real estate, and new technologies law—highlights the accelerating pace of digital transformation among Andorran businesses.

In an interview, Giró notes that clients across sectors are adopting new technological tools, raising key legal challenges. These include ensuring compliance with data protection rules during innovation, navigating implications of artificial intelligence in daily operations and legal obligations, and addressing concerns over handling data from European Union citizens beyond local residents.

Businesses are increasingly aligning with European standards, anticipating a future association agreement that will require such harmonization. This dual approach involves meeting Andorran regulations while proactively adopting international norms to avoid costly retrofits later.

Giró emphasizes the need for preliminary legal analyses before implementing any technology. "The most common client doubt is whether a specific tool complies with current rules," he says, adding that post-implementation modifications are far more expensive in time and money.

While larger firms have greater resources for digital transitions, small and medium-sized enterprises share the same imperative to integrate tools. Emindset Law supports them by embedding advice into daily operations for practical, sustainable upgrades aligned with business goals.

Public administration faces distinct hurdles, including digitizing government ministries, parishes, and other bodies. A priority is achieving interoperability among systems to enable data sharing, reduce duplicates, errors, and redundant procedures. Citizen-facing digitalization aims for fully online trámites—simple and swift—drawing inspiration from Estonia's model. Given Andorra's size, Giró believes rapid adoption is feasible.

Business digital culture is maturing rapidly, Giró observes. Companies recognize transformation not as optional but essential for global competitiveness and future EU-aligned markets. Despite upfront costs, "digitalization is always a sound long-term investment," he concludes.