RN-20 Closure Cuts Off French Newspapers and Books in Andorra

The closure of the RN-20 road has left readers in Mérens-les-Vals without daily French newspapers and general-interest magazines, disrupting supplies for over two weeks.

Local kiosks like La Trenca report that only niche weeklies—such as TV guides (Télé Z, Télé Loisir, Télé Cable Sat), automotive titles (Auto Plus, Auto Hebdo), and celebrity gossip magazines (Point de Vue, Gala, Femme actuelle, Maxi, Nous Deux, Closer)—continue to arrive normally. Customers seeking staples like Le Monde, Le Figaro Magazine, Paris Match, L'Équipe, L'Express, or even the International New York Times have been out of luck. "Around 30 copies a week used to sell," said one shop assistant, noting the loss of this modest but steady demand despite newspapers offering slim profits compared to books.

The roadblock, which has severed the usual route from Andorra via Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre and Mérens, has hit French-language booksellers hardest. At Moby Dick in L'Alzinarat, owner Frédéric Font has been unable to collect weekly orders—typically 150 to 200 books—from his supplier in Toulouse. His standard morning run, returning by lunchtime, now requires a two-and-a-half-hour detour via Quillan, doubling travel time.

After waiting to assess the disruption's duration, Font hired a transporter. "I've gone two weeks without fulfilling orders and can't wait longer," he said. The first delivery is expected on Monday. He plans to absorb the added costs, maintaining fixed French pricing set under former culture minister Jack Lang, even though his extraterritorial Andorran status exempts him from it. "It's lucky this happened in the low season—if it were September or December, it would hurt more," Font added.

Popular recent requests include Thomas Schlesser's novel *Le chat du jardinier* and Charlotte Casiraghi's essay *La fêlure*. With thousands of titles in stock, Moby Dick remains open for browsing in the meantime. No timeline has been given for the RN-20's reopening.