Andorra's General Council rejects bill to raise age of consent to 16

The General Council voted 17–10, with no abstentions, to refuse admission for processing of a bill from the Concòrdia parliamentary group that sought to redefine sexual consent, raise the age of consent from 14 to 16 and strengthen criminal protections for minors. The negative vote halts the proposal before it can enter formal legislative debate.

Concòrdia’s draft was built around three main blocks: a new legal definition of sexual consent, a specific penal regime for offences against minors, and adjustments to the regulation of pimping and prostitution. Sponsors argued the changes respond to a rise in reports of sexual offences and would align Andorran law with evolving international standards.

Concòrdia, the Social Democrats (PS) and Andorra Endavant voted to admit the bill. Núria Segués, deputy president of Concòrdia, called the refusal a blockade of a “necessary” debate, warned that keeping the age of consent at 14 is “an anomaly” that leaves minors exposed, and said this was the ninth initiative from her group not taken into consideration. PS deputy Laia Moliné described the proposal as an essential update consistent with international norms. Andorra Endavant leader Carine Montaner urged tougher penalties and faster action.

The government and majority parties defended the negative vote on the basis that a comprehensive reform of the Penal Code is already underway. Justice and Interior Minister Ester Molné said the government’s reform is in its final drafting phase and has received the mandatory opinion of the Superior Council of Justice; she said the executive will study that report and expects to submit its bill in January 2026. Molné and majority deputies argued that approving a partial change now would be incoherent given the imminent, broader text, which will address matters such as corporate criminal liability, child pornography offences and other structural changes.

Majority representatives said they share some of Concòrdia’s objectives but that a single, unified reform would ensure legal and technical coherence and avoid fragmentary amendments. Molné also questioned the urgency of a standalone proposal, citing police figures she said show some categories of offences have remained stable or decreased, and offered to make the police report available to parliamentarians.

Opposition parties rejected that reasoning and urged the government to use the opposition text as a basis for joint work rather than block it outright. Segués asked for immediate collaborative work on measures with cross‑party support while the full reform is finalised, and critics said the majority missed an opportunity for earlier protection of children and adolescents.

As a result of the plenary decision, any change to the consent rules and the minimum age will now wait for the government’s comprehensive Penal Code reform. Proponents of the Concòrdia text said the refusal delays measures they regard as urgent to better protect minors.

In the same sitting, deputies unanimously approved amendments to the law on the automatic exchange of fiscal information to align Andorra with new international standards; Finance Minister Ramon Lladós said the principality currently exchanges tax information with 114 countries and the updated rules will add 12 more. The chamber also ratified, by assent, a double taxation convention with Estonia intended to prevent tax evasion and clarify rules on residence and taxing rights. Lawmakers further approved, by consensus, a right‑to‑be‑forgotten health law protecting people who have recovered from serious illnesses from discrimination in insurance and financial products, alongside an updated insurance contract law.