The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luca Beccari, met today at the San Marino Embassy in Rome the Diplomatic Representatives of the EU Member States accredited to the Republic, to outline the progress of the negotiations underway to conclude the Association Agreement with the European Union.

The meeting was attended by the officials of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of monitoring relations with San Marino, in addition to the Directors of the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Ambassador accredited to the European Union, Antonella Benedettini, and the Embassy Counsellor, Marina Emiliani.

Introduced by the Ambassador of San Marino in Italy, Daniela Rotondaro, Minister Beccari presented the topic as a priority goal of the current government. The discussion focused on the uniqueness of the future Association Agreement with respect to similar agreements of third countries, offering a concrete opportunity for both San Marino and the European Union.

The Minister recalled the value of the agreement not only from an economic but also from a political and social point of view. In the presence of more than thirty Diplomatic Representatives, the unwavering support of the respective countries to date was emphasised, as well as a similar will for the period to come.

The Minister retraced the key stages of the negotiations, which started in 2015 and which to date reached significant goals, despite the slowdowns caused first by the elections of the negotiating parties and then by the pandemic emergency.

Minister Beccari mentioned the recent impulse given to the negotiations through the personal value of those who believed in and worked for the significant acceleration of the negotiations. He recalled the commitment of the Ambassador of the European Union to San Marino, Alexandra Valkenburg-Roelofs, as well as the important visit by the Vice-President of the European Commission, Maroš Šefčovič, in January. This visit confirmed the willingness to accelerate the negotiations with a view to its conclusion by 2023 and renewed enthusiasm and confidence in the ongoing process.

Beccari explained San Marino's internal adjustment and reform work with a European perspective, mentioning the recently adopted pension reform and the labour market reform. These reforms were adopted in close connection with the acquis communautaire.

During the meeting, the main characteristics of the two parts of the Association Agreement were recalled and reaffirmed: an institutional part that will cover the rights and duties of integration of the three negotiating countries, and a second part in which each State negotiates directly with the European Commission its own protocol on how to implement the acquis communautaire.

The differences between the States which still demand technical adaptation procedures with appropriate timeframes were emphasised.

There was significant consensus at the meeting by the Representatives of the Member States, which for San Marino is now more crucial than ever, also for a necessary awareness-raising activity aimed at its citizens.

Beccari concluded the wide-ranging discussion by mentioning the technical aspects that are still being defined and for which the best operational solutions are being sought, claiming that an agreement is the only viable option in the current context. This agreement will not only produce fundamental effects at the economic level and in terms of integration into the European single market, but will have to be considered in the context of a new framework of relations with the European Union and its Member States with regard to the major global issues that today also require San Marino to fully cooperate internationally.

In this regard, Minister Beccari recalled San Marino's participation in the next meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), which will take place on 1 June in Chișinău.

San Marino, 9 March 2023