Court Ruling Jeopardizes Andorra's UNESCO Heritage Bid Over Buffer Zone Flaw

A court ruling annulling a government decree on the protective buffer zones around Casa de la Vall has jeopardised Andorra's transnational UNESCO World Heritage candidacy, shared with Spain and France.

The Batllia tribunal invalidated the decree last week because affected property owners were not individually notified of the procedure's initiation. The decision focused solely on this procedural flaw, without addressing neighbours' substantive complaints. Representatives from UNESCO are due to visit Andorra this autumn to assess the project on site. Without clearly defined buffer zones for key sites, experts are likely to issue a negative report.

The candidacy—"Material Witnesses to the Construction of the Pyrenean State: The Co-Principality of Andorra"—includes 12 monuments spanning the Middle Ages to the 16th century. Andorra contributes ten: Sant Joan de Caselles, Sant Romà de les Bons, Sant Martí de la Cortinada, Sant Climent de Pal, Santa Coloma, Sant Serni de Nagol, Sant Miquel d'Engolasters, the Roc d'Enclar archaeological site, the Roureda de la Margineda, and Casa de la Vall. The list is completed by Foix Castle in France and the Seo de Urgell cathedral complex in Spain. The initiative stems from seven years of collaboration among the three nations.

When the bid was submitted to UNESCO in February last year, all Andorran buffer zones had been approved, some hastily. In March 2019, candidacy coordinator Joan Reguant had warned that undefined zones for most Andorran monuments weakened the proposal.

The government's legal team began reviewing the ruling last Friday. It lacks direct access to property owners' addresses, held by the communes; Andorra la Vella's comú refused to share them citing data protection, so it handled neighbour communications instead.

One option under consideration is to forgo an appeal and restart the process from the pre-decree stage, ensuring personalised notifications this time. Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Mònica Bonell said yesterday that the substantive work was complete and only the formal step needed repeating. The key uncertainty remains how long this will take ahead of the UNESCO visit.