Law Professor to Lecture on Andorra's EU Association Ahead of Referendum

Patrick Klaousen, a law professor at the University of Rennes 1 and former staff member at the Court of Justice of the European Communities, will deliver a lecture on Andorra's association agreement with the EU this Wednesday at 7:30pm in the Escaldes town hall auditorium.

The talk precedes a planned referendum on the pact this year, following 15 years of negotiations that ended in December 2023 when the Andorran government first contacted the European Commission. Klaousen plans to review the process's phases, outstanding steps to final adoption, and the deal's specific features, including implementation challenges.

He characterised Andorra's current EU ties as asymmetric, resting since 1990 on sectoral pacts that the agreement would unify into one legal instrument. A major aspect requires aligning Andorran laws and practices with the EU's *acquis communautaire*. The banking sector could secure better access to European financial services through related compliance steps, he added.

Klaousen stressed the importance of public awareness before the vote, which carries major medium- and long-term consequences for Andorra's economic and social model. Voters need to grasp the details and decide based on facts amid serious economic and social hurdles, he said, with any campaign succeeding through honest arguments.

He warned against treating the referendum as a vote on the government. "A referendum is not a plebiscite," he said, emphasising focus on the question rather than its proponent. He invited as many people as possible to attend, noting that light comes from discussion.

Meanwhile, opposition figure Josep Pintat has questioned the referendum's impact, calling it "consultative, not binding" in a Ràdio Nacional interview. He urged an end to "theatre," arguing that changing the electoral law—which has not happened—would be needed for binding status. Pintat noted that such votes lack full legal development in Andorra, where decisions must fit democratic legal frameworks. The government holds authority on foreign affairs, he added, and signing the deal would commit the state internationally, making later challenges to it untenable before the EU.

Pintat affirmed Andorra needs strong EU relations but highlighted unresolved issues, such as whether the agreement will be mixed, despite negotiations wrapping up last December.

Authorities have not confirmed the referendum date or its legal nature.