The signing will be only the first step. After the Association Agreement with the European Union, San Marino will enter a new phase, made up of ratifications, legislative adjustments, bodies to be established and ongoing dialogue with Brussels. It is a machine that the Republic has already begun setting in motion, one that could produce its first concrete effects as early as 1 January 2027.
The roadmap was outlined by Foreign Secretary Luca Beccari before the Foreign Affairs Committee (Commissione Esteri). The signing is expected between the end of September and the first half of October, but immediately afterwards a series of steps will begin, steps meant to carry San Marino from the agreement on paper to its actual implementation.
The first step will be internal. The Government will have to formally re-approve the text, following the shift of the Agreement from a mixed to an exclusive nature, before starting the standard ratification procedure envisaged for international agreements. Once this step is completed, San Marino will be able to notify the European Commission of its intention to make use of provisional entry into force.
If the timetable proceeds without technical hitches, the earliest possible date is 1 January 2027. Otherwise, the Agreement would take effect on the first day of the month following the completion of the procedure. In any case, according to Beccari, 2027 will be the year in which the Agreement actually begins to produce its effects, with the exception of certain areas subject to different timelines and procedures.
After that, the real management of the Agreement will begin. The Joint Committee and the Association Committee will need to be established, alongside a Parliamentary Committee. The first will serve as the operational table for addressing the concrete implementation of the provisions; the second will have a more political role and may also weigh in on any future expansion or narrowing of the agreement’s scope.
It is precisely here that particularly important matters for San Marino could end up being discussed in the future. Beccari mentioned T2 and the border agreement, already initialled but not yet signed, as examples of issues that could become intertwined with the new framework of relations with Brussels.
The work of the Foreign Ministry will change too. Negotiations will no longer focus on the text of the Agreement, but on its implementation. San Marino will have to periodically report on what has been transposed, flag any implementation difficulties, and discuss solutions with the European Union. Diplomats will be joined by technical experts from the various sectors of the Public Administration.
Part of the work, however, has already begun. Since mid-August, meetings between departments and offices have been stepped up to prepare the first legislative adjustments, and several bills could be ready within a month or a month and a half. This is one of the steps set to have the greatest impact on political and Council activity in the coming years.
On the table is also the possibility of creating a dedicated fast-track procedure for transposing the European acquis, avoiding the need to subject every single adjustment to the standard legislative process. The idea outlined by Beccari is to arrive at one or two transposition laws per year, following the Italian model, while still leaving the Council free to decide which matters, given their political weight, should follow the ordinary path.
The most demanding phase is expected to be concentrated mainly in the first few years. For San Marino, then, the signing will not close the European dossier: it will open that of implementation, one destined to become a permanent fixture on the agenda of the Government, the Council and the Public Administration.
