We continue our series of in-depth columns curated by Giulia Muratori, secretary of Libera San Marino.
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There are days destined to mark the history of a country.
Today, with the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union, San Marino is preparing to live through one of them.
This is a moment we should be proud of.
It is the result of more than ten years of work, of negotiations, of commitment from our Institutions, and of a choice that has spanned different governments and legislatures.
A path supported with conviction by trade unions, business and employers’ associations, and a broad swathe of the political spectrum, in the awareness that San Marino’s future cannot be built in isolation.
San Marino is a small country, with an extraordinary history and an identity we have managed to preserve through the centuries.
But today we can no longer be content with being “known to ourselves, unknown to others.”
Our independence is not measured by the distance we keep from the rest of the world, but by our ability to be protagonists in the decisions that shape our future.
Opening up to Europe does not mean giving up what we are, but giving new prospects to what we can become.
It is in this spirit that we are opening a new chapter in our history today.
It means offering our businesses the chance to operate in a larger market, with common rules and greater certainty.
It means creating favourable conditions for new investment, innovation and skilled employment in San Marino.
It also means expanding opportunities for our young people and professionals, who will be able to access European qualification-recognition procedures and move more freely to work and build their careers, under the conditions set out in the Agreement.
And it means bringing our country closer to European standards on rights, health, labour, transparency, business and the banking and financial system.
We are not simply expanding our market.
We are expanding San Marino’s possibilities.
This is the deeper reason behind our support for the Agreement.
We want a country capable of growing, attracting talent, creating good jobs and offering young people the freedom to choose their own future, right here too.
Naturally, a step of this magnitude will require a major organisational effort.
I am thinking in particular of the Public Administration, which will need to be at the forefront of implementing the Agreement.
We need to value our staff, invest in training, strengthen our offices and equip them with adequate tools.
We must move faster on this preparation.
We cannot allow such an important transformation to rest solely on the goodwill of individual civil servants.
Preparing the State means putting the whole country in a position to benefit from the new opportunities.
I know there are questions and concerns surrounding the Agreement.
That is natural in the face of such a significant change.
The dialogue must therefore continue, with clear information, transparency and respect for different sensitivities.
Today, above all, I want to acknowledge the value of this achievement and of all the people who helped bring it about.
We have chosen to invest in our country’s future — a choice that looks to future generations and opens up a new season of possibilities for San Marino.
