Andorra and the EU believe they can achieve an association agreement that benefits them
Espot and Sefcovic decide to improve communication channels to make them more fluid
ENCAMP (ANDORRA), 13 Oct. (EUROPE PRESS) –
The Government of Andorra and the European Union (EU) are convinced that they will be able to achieve an improved association agreement for both and that they respect European principles and directives as well as the specificities of the Pyrenean country.
This was stated this Thursday by the head of the Andorran Government, Xavier Espot, and the Vice President of the European Commission (EC), Maros Sefcovic, visiting Andorra, during a press conference as the culmination of a marathon day of meetings held in the Principality.
After the meetings, both leaders have expressed their desire to improve the channels of communication so that the negotiations flow better and so that the process of rapprochement with Europe that is being carried out is more tending.
The forecast is that the agreement will be closed at the end of 2023 under the Spanish presidency in the EU and later, the text will be submitted to a referendum in the Principality.
The vice-president of the EC has celebrated “the positive predisposition” of Andorra, appreciating that they have understood the need to find a solution that respects their specificities and that can also be understood by the EC.
There are aspects that are currently on the negotiating table related to the free movement of people that are especially delicate, and for this reason Andorra has asked Brussels to be “understanding” with the fact that the Principality is a small country that must have tight control population
There is also a debate on the possibility of maintaining or not the quotas for immigrants, aspects such as the prior control of criminal records or administrative expulsions that the Principality promotes very often and that clash with European principles, but the two parties have shown themselves willing to save the pitfalls.
Espot has affirmed that the objective is for Andorra to form part of the European economic space, respecting the principles of Community law, taking into account the specificities of the country, and ensuring that the culmination of environmental, social and economic policies cannot be understood except “through of the approval of the agreement.
ONE OF THE GREATEST CHALLENGES
In his opinion, the association agreement is one of the greatest challenges that the country must achieve, and he believes that the current state of the negotiation and the aspects already negotiated show “hope”.
The vice-president of the European Commission has said that the future association agreement “will further strengthen relations between Andorra and the European Union”, has expressed his desire for it to be an improved agreement and has added that he shares values, interests and challenges with Andorra , such as support for Ukraine.
He has also underlined that the negotiations schedule is ambitious but that if completed it will mean “a quantitative and qualitative leap” in relations.