The official information campaign on the agreement between San Marino and the European Union hasn’t arrived yet.
We got there first.
We read all 2,471 pages, and starting today we’re explaining them to everyone, for free and in plain language, at accordo.insider.sm.
Six days remain until the signing, on 19 October.
The agreement is the talk of the town: at the bar, on social media, at dinner.
But almost no one has actually read it, because it runs to thousands of pages written in language that would discourage anyone.
So people form an opinion based on hearsay, and fears and promises spread at the same speed, whether true or false.
And yet the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale) has been asking the Government for years to explain it clearly to citizens.
We’ve done it, with a dedicated portal.
The site answers two questions: what changes for me? And is what I’ve been hearing actually true?
Every answer links back to the official document, so no one has to take our word for it. And we’re not taking sides: we don’t say whether the agreement is good or bad, we say what it actually states.
A few examples. Does San Marino join the European Union? No.
Does the agreement force us to introduce VAT? No.
Will cross-border workers’ taxes change? Partly.
Are we joining Schengen and will we have to take in migrants? That’s not in the agreement.
If we say no to a new EU law, will Europe make us pay for it? Yes, but within clearly defined limits.
Using the same approach, we also checked the 12 official statements the Government uses to present the agreement.
None of them are false, but almost none are entirely true either. The same goes for the fears circulating: more often than not, the truth lies somewhere in between.
And it doesn’t end here.
The site will be updated on the day of the signing, then again after the Grand and General Council’s vote, right through to the agreement’s entry into force, which the Government expects between January and February 2027.
When the official campaign does arrive, it will be welcome.
In the meantime, we’ve already read all 2,471 pages.
All you need is a tap.
