Andorra's Espot Urges Transparency and Participation to Build Trust at OECD Forum

Andorra's head of government, Xavier Espot, advocated for citizen participation as a vital tool to bolster trust in democratic institutions during his address at the OECD Global Forum in Paris on Monday, 12 October.

Espot and Secretary of State for Equality and Citizen Participation, Mariona Cadena, attended the event at the OECD's conference centre. Focused on "Governing without blockages: resilient democracies in a world of accelerated transformation," the forum addressed eroding public confidence in governments worldwide.

In session two, "Building trust and adapting democracies in a rapidly changing world," Espot joined officials from Finland, Costa Rica, South Africa, and Spain's Secretary of State for Justice. He warned that democracies are losing citizen trust due to limited influence over political decisions and governments' struggles with long-term challenges. Andorra, despite its proximity between institutions and population, faces the same issues.

To counter this, Espot emphasised three pillars: transparency in explaining decisions and providing information access; genuine citizen participation in national debates; and institutional continuity to ensure proposals lead to real public action.

He highlighted the first citizen assembly of the late-2025 "Tracem el futur d’Andorra en un món que canvia" project, which drew more than 200 participants across parishes and produced measures unveiled last spring. Espot also referenced the 2021 "Andorra: Reptes del Futur" initiative, involving 100 people in discussions on future challenges, including the EU Association Agreement amid shifts away from tourism and construction reliance.

Polls cited by Espot showed 82.1% of respondents view citizen participation as beneficial to public policies, though he stressed the importance of credible follow-through. He pointed to the new State Secretariat and the permanent Visura Ciutadana advisory council, with members randomly selected from the public.

Cadena took part in sessions on improving participation channels, transparency, and civic engagement, alongside government representatives, experts, and civil society.

Separately that day, Espot, as FEDA president, signed an addendum with EDF CEO Bernard Fontana to their collaboration agreement, enhancing energy security, price stability, domestic production, and renewable transition efforts.