Andorra and the EU maintain their goal of reaching an association agreement by the end of 2023
BRUSSELS, 30 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Government of Andorra and the European Union (EU) have informed this Wednesday that they maintain their confidence in being able to conclude an association agreement that benefits both parties at the end of 2023, coinciding with the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union.
This was stated this Wednesday by the head of the Andorran government, Xavier Espot, and the vice president of the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic, during a press conference after their meeting in Brussels.
As Espot has pointed out, the objective of the meeting was not to negotiate, but to talk in general terms about the background of the agreement and what they intend to achieve by the end of next year, while the debate on more specific issues will continue in the course of the next few months.
“Our goal is to conclude the technical issues before spring to be able to clear the table and focus on more political issues, so that by the end of 2023 we can conclude the negotiations once and for all”, explained the President of the Andorran Government.
This agreement has been one of the main concerns of the executive led by Espot since negotiations began in 2015 and which aims to involve Andorra in the single EU market.
“We believe that this will be a great opportunity for Andorra, since the ambitious agreement will have an impact in the field of social cohesion and in terms of economic growth”, pointed out the President of the Government.
As added by the Vice President of the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic, this agreement will be an improvement for both parties since it takes into account the specificities of Andorra, while consolidating the association of the EU with a neighboring territory that shares its values, something that , in his opinion, has gained even greater importance after Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
“It is a clear window of opportunity that we must take advantage of,” said Sefcovic, who stressed that both parties are satisfied with the progress of the negotiation and with a meeting in which they have addressed issues such as the free movement of people and liberalization of the telecommunications sector.