Andorran Leader Urges San Marino to Accelerate EU Association Pact

Jaume Bartumeu Cassany, former Andorran head of government and Progressistes-SDP representative on the state pact for the EU Association Agreement, visited San Marino last weekend to press for swift signature, ratification, and provisional application of the pact with both Andorra and San Marino.

The trip started on Thursday, January 29, with talks at Palazzo Begni, San Marino's foreign affairs ministry, between Bartumeu and Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Luca Beccari, who led the EU negotiations. They assessed the signature process—still awaiting a Council of the European Union mandate to the European Commission—alongside provisional implementation options under San Marino law and public administration adjustments to EU rules. Emphasis was placed on ensuring clear information for citizens. Beccari hosted a dinner that evening, joined by MP Giovanna Cecchetti and Élego movement president Paride Andreoli.

On Friday morning, Bartumeu met Luca Brandi, director of European Affairs and San Marino's ambassador to Andorra. Midday brought discussions with Partito dei Socialisti e dei Democratici (PDS) political secretary Luca Lazzari, accompanied by MPs Ilaria Bachiocchi and Gerardo Giovagnoli, who heads San Marino's delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Topics included EU Council delays in confirming the agreement's mixed nature—now supported by a majority of member states—and San Marino's ratification path.

The visit ended Saturday with Bartumeu's speech at the Élego movement congress, themed "per una Nuova Repubblica" and "all’insegna degli ideali socialisti," attended by representatives from San Marino's political spectrum. Speaking in Italian, he highlighted the need to finalize the agreement concluded after eight years of negotiations on December 12, 2023. He described the moment as "difficult, very delicate, and complex" for both countries, urging political synthesis and a concrete economic reactivation plan in Andorra. Failure to act, he cautioned, could lead to the situation "spiraling out of control and fueling social conflicts with potentially devastating consequences," as new social, health, and economic pressures compound existing ones. Structural reforms, he said, must shift "from words to action with courage and determination," backed by broad political and social consensus to shape both nations' futures.

Participants expressed shared frustration over the EU Council's lag in declaring the agreement's mixed character, which Bartumeu views as obvious. The outreach highlights ongoing collaboration between Andorra and San Marino to join the EU single market while retaining sovereignty, pending further EU steps for provisional measures.