Yesterday evening the first public meeting of the cycle entitled "San Marino towards Europe. The contents of the Agreement” sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organized by Mutual Aid Society (SUMS) in cooperation with the Research Centre for International Relations of the University of San Marino took place.

In the presence of a large audience, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Luca Beccari, the President of SUMS, Marino Albani, and Professor Michele Chiaruzzi discussed topics relating to the institutional framework of the Association Agreement between San Marino, Andorra and the European Union.

At the beginning, the main points of the future Agreement were recalled; in particular, the third party status of San Marino was reaffirmed, as well as the recognition by the EU of the specificities of the Republic, which strengthen its national structure and identity, and the legal protection by the European Court of Justice.

The Minister recalled the stages of the negotiation process, focusing on the advantages deriving from the future integration of San Marino in the European context. He also stated that all countries that moved closer to the European Union, in different modalities and ways, experienced a progressive economic growth. Minister Beccari explained the principle of equivalence for San Marino’s people and businesses, which will enjoy the benefits of the European single market on an equal footing with Member States.

The importance of opening up to the EU market was underlined, for the development of services that cannot remain tied up in the domestic market. The topics were examined in detail, and the

concrete effects of the entry into force of the Agreement were brought as examples.

“Only a treaty can establish rights that are currently lacking,” the Minister said, “when a company is discriminated in the European single market, it has no tools to resort to, nor any rights to claim except by virtue of an Agreement with the European Union itself, which is under the legal framework of the Court of Justice.”

SUMS President Albani expressed “great satisfaction with the large audience that took part in the first meeting during which, Minister Beccari and Prof. Chiaruzzi explained, in a comprehensive and effective way, the aspects related to the institutional framework of the Agreement. SUMS has decided to continue the dissemination work it has started on a topic of such undisputed general interest, in order to allow people to avoid prejudices and to have an accurate opinion”.

The meeting also clarified aspects related to the free movement of persons, focusing on the derogations obtained by virtue of San Marino’s small territorial dimensions, such as the quota system in relation to residence permit according to the peculiarities of San Marino. Such derogations will make the implementation of the new EU legislation in San Marino more compatible.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to recall the next public meeting to be heldon Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 8:45 pm at the Joe Cassar Hallin Borgo Maggiore.

San Marino, 1 March 2024