San Marino can proceed with EU association even if Andorra delays

San Marino’s association process with the European Union will not be affected if Andorra chooses not to ratify the agreement, the San Marino government has said, a position emphasized repeatedly in the country’s press. Local outlets, including L’Informazione di San Marino and Repubblica.sm, have reported that San Marino’s fate is not tied to Andorra’s final decision and that an Andorran referendum or delay would not halt the agreement’s application for San Marino.

The coverage notes that the association agreement is largely technical and falls mainly within the EU’s exclusive competence—around 95%—so provisional application could be triggered with ratification by San Marino and the EU alone, despite a few mixed clauses for certain chapters. Under that reading, any obstacle or postponement in Andorra, even a negative internal referendum result, would not prevent the accord from entering into force for San Marino.

Prime Minister Luca Beccari has been explicit in parliament and to the media that San Marino’s future is not conditioned by Andorra’s moves: “Our destinies are linked up to the moment of signature, but after that each country follows its own path,” he said. He added that the European Commission has expressed readiness to proceed with San Marino alone in the hypothetical event that Andorra withdraws from the process.

L’Informazione ran a front-page headline saying an eventual difficulty in Andorra “would not block San Marino,” and repeated that once the agreement is signed, any subsequent Andorran setback would be an exclusively Andorran problem. Beccari also noted that San Marino and Andorra will take part in formal technical modifications of the final text, but that these adjustments should not interfere with the process because they concern internal EU matters.

Observers and officials underline that separate paths are both possible and anticipated: the Commission has signaled willingness to move forward with states that are ready. Although the agreement was negotiated jointly with Andorra and Monaco, its entry into force does not require simultaneous ratification by the negotiating countries.

Beccari stressed the strategic importance of the step for San Marino, saying that after signature “a new world opens,” providing the country with a stable legal framework and instruments to defend its interests within the European structure.