Andorra Minister Announces Radars Expansion for Isolated Seniors Amid Welfare Debate

Government Outlines Expansion of Radars Project Amid Opposition Calls for Social Welfare Reform

In a session of the Consell General on Thursday, Social Affairs Minister Trini Marín announced plans to roll out the Radars project across all seven parishes of Andorra within six months, providing updated data on elderly people living alone. The initiative, which launches this April in Andorra la Vella and Sant Julià de Lòria, builds on work started during the Covid era. Agreements with Encamp and Canillo are in final stages, with deals for the remaining communes to follow progressively.

Marín explained that Radars, signed with Barcelona City Council at the end of 2025, involves trained volunteers making contact with isolated seniors. The project includes support from Andorra's commercial sector, the College of Physicians, and Andorra Telecom, which provides a free call line. It starts with five volunteers, with potential for more based on demand.

Núria Segués, deputy president of the Concòrdia parliamentary group, pressed for clearer timelines and full national coverage, noting that the most current database covers only Andorra la Vella and Sant Julià de Lòria. "If we want to address this, it must cover all seven parishes," she said.

Marín defended current staffing levels, with one social worker per 5,000 residents and one social educator per 8,500. She highlighted recent additions, such as a new social worker at the Fundació Privada Tutelar, and stressed that ratios exceed minimums in some areas.

The debate widened to Andorra's social assistance model. Segués criticised it as overly reliant on temporary aid that often extends indefinitely, failing to promote true autonomy—economic, professional, or otherwise. She cited a 16.5% rise in social protection spending to €343 million in 2024, alongside a poverty risk rate climbing from 13% to 16%, with one in five people vulnerable per European indicators. "The system accompanies temporarily but does not emancipate," she summarised.

Health Minister Helena Mas countered that the framework emphasises networked work, institutional responsibility, and community involvement, integrating social, health, education, and emergency resources. Primary social services and local teams handle early detection, while health units address physical, mental health, and addiction risks. "Emancipation happens with the person, not for them," Mas said, pointing to initiatives like Radars and mental health community teams to build self-management skills.

Head of Government Xavier Espot rejected a wholly negative view, noting occasional economic aids show a downward trend annually and align with the Social Services Law's aim to prevent chronic dependency. "These aids are a lever, a springboard for self-reliance," he said, while acknowledging challenges in mental health, addictions, or severe precarity cases.

Segués maintained the focus should shift from detection to effective outcomes and structural causes, urging more staff and community work.

In a separate exchange, Finance Minister Ramon Lladós rebuffed calls from Partit Socialdemòcrata deputy president Pere Baró for immediate measures on rising fuel and essential goods prices, linked to the Iran conflict. March's IPC jumped from 3.1% to 4.1% due to fuels, but Lladós saw no urgent need for action, as prices remain below post-Ukraine war peaks.

He highlighted structural protections like free public transport and stable electricity prices, with median salaries up 17% and minimums 20% over two years against 10% inflation. Any future steps would target needy families and businesses, shared with operators like fuel distributors, hauliers, and builders. "We monitor markets closely and will act when needed," Lladós said. Baró warned of eroding purchasing power from internal policies and external shocks, urging pre-emptive tools for fuels, food, and basics.