Michele Muratori’s participation in the 19th Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of European Small States has made headlines in the Andorran press. The councillor from Domani – Motus Liberi, who chairs San Marino’s Standing Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke during the trip to the Principality about the path toward the Association Agreement with the European Union, focusing in particular on issues of sovereignty, the referendum question and migration policy.
His remarks were reported by the Andorran newspaper Bondia, which devoted an article to San Marino’s position under a headline centred precisely on the conviction that the Agreement will not result in a loss of sovereignty.
Muratori began by highlighting the differences between the two countries negotiating agreements with Brussels: “Our countries are different,” he explained, noting that San Marino is a Republic while Andorra is a co-principality, and that consequently “each agreement has its own particularities.”
One of the topics addressed concerned ratification. According to the Andorran outlet, San Marino does not envisage a referendum on the Agreement. Muratori explained that within the Council there is a shared belief that the deal could bring positive effects for the country, while also pointing to San Marino’s constitutional framework.
The central passage of the interview, however, concerned sovereignty. On this point, Muratori stated that he firmly believes San Marino will not lose autonomy or decision-making power as a result of the Association Agreement. He linked this position to the management of migration policy as well, which — according to what he told Bondia — will continue to be decided and enforced by the Republic. Muratori also recalled that San Marino is not part of the Schengen area and has no intention of joining it.
The interview also touched on the Titano’s particular geographical position, entirely surrounded by Italy. Precisely for this reason, Muratori argued, the Agreement also represents an economic and commercial opportunity, given the weight of relations with the neighbouring country.
San Marino’s presence in Andorra fits within the broader debate among Europe’s small states and their different models of relations with the European Union. The conference brought together countries that have taken very different paths: from full EU membership for Malta, Luxembourg and Cyprus, to participation in the European Economic Area by Iceland and Liechtenstein, as well as Montenegro’s accession process and Monaco’s decision to halt its own association negotiations.
