Andorra la VellaThe referendum on the association agreement with the European Union will not be held, at least, until the end of 2025, as explained by the Head of Government Xavier Spot. On Monday, the European Commission informed the Andorran delegation that had moved to the Belgian capital that the adaptability of the negotiated text will not be fully analyzed until March or April. This scenario, the most optimistic, would mean that with the minimum of six months required between community validation and the referendum in Andorra, the consultation will be held at the end of next year.
Espot has commented that Brussels has communicated that this extension of the deadlines is “normal in an agreement of this magnitude”. The scenario of the referendum, as indicated by Espot in an interview with the program Avui serra a bon dia de RÃ dio Nacional, can still go further. If any of the member states consider that the text affects some competence that has not been transferred to the EU, the approval system would be different. The endorsement of the European Commission is no longer sufficient, but it should be approved by the parliaments of the 27 states.
Referendum linked to the EU calendar
The Head of Government has stated that the referendum calendar is inexorably linked to the European Union’s calendar. Until they validate the final text “we cannot bring the agreement to consultation because it would not be a definitive text”.
This temporal perspective contrasts with the acceleration of acts and debates on the association agreement. Espot has stated that any conversation or confrontation of ideas about the agreement is positive as long as and when “don’t do it in a destructive way” or using incorrect or unverified information.