Those who oppose the agreement with the European Union should say so openly. Luca Beccari brought the debate onto political ground during Friday 16 October’s session of the special commission for institutional reforms. Just days before the signing scheduled for Monday the 19th, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs responded to doubts about San Marino’s readiness and the steps needed to implement the deal.
“If someone disagrees, sees no benefit in it and thinks we’re better off staying as we are, that we could carry on like this for a hundred years, they have my full respect. But it’s better to say so, rather than hide disagreement behind technicalities, forcing the other side into a position of confrontation.”
For Beccari, part of the opposition stems from a different vision of the relationship with Europe, even before considering the agreement’s individual provisions. The real question, he argues, is whether to bring San Marino’s rules closer to European ones or maintain the status quo, which in his view creates daily difficulties. He also pointed to the benefits guaranteed by relations with Italy, posing a question: who can guarantee those benefits would have remained secure without the path toward association?
“What should we do now? Not sign the agreement, spend years carrying out legislative work to align with Europe — perhaps aligning however we please — and then go there and say we’re ready? Maybe it won’t be good enough, then it gets signed or not signed and another five years go by. I think that’s the wrong approach.”
The discussion also touched on provisional application, regarding which Beccari underlined the Council’s responsibility. “Provisional entry into force is an option available to us. If the Council decides it doesn’t want it, so be it. Do we want to wait a year before the agreement takes effect? Then go and tell that to the industrial associations, the business sector, and everyone waiting for its effects.”
From there came his sharpest response to those challenging the process. “The agreement isn’t for me, for Luca Beccari, for Andrea Belluzzi or for the government: it serves the country — the silent country, the one that doesn’t go on social media to write, at times, nonsense about the association agreement. The people who need this aren’t keyboard warriors: they’re the ones who work, who truly understand the country’s problems, who don’t post on social media but come to meetings, speak up and put forward proposals.”
“Forgive the outburst — maybe it’s because we’re getting close to the signing — but this country hasn’t all gone mad, and we’re not blind to how things stand,” the Secretary added, acknowledging the complexity of the work while rejecting the notion that the administration is still stuck at the preparatory stage.
Defending the civil service was a central part of his response. “Believe me, I read the papers and hear certain remarks — which are part of the political game — but don’t think nothing is being done. I’m not saying this to defend the government, but because there are so many people working on these measures, and the secretariats and departments are heavily engaged.”
According to Beccari, the drafting of the legislation and the awareness within the offices are further along than public debate suggests. The European Affairs directorate, he reported, is coordinating the work with five or six staff members, drawing on the experience built up during the negotiations. He didn’t claim everything is resolved: “It’s a complex challenge, but we’re not still at the stage of deciding what pen to use to write the laws: we are deeply engaged.”
Asked whether the entire legal framework should be fully adapted by the time of signing, the Secretary drew a distinction between association and EU membership. Under the path set out for San Marino, he explained, alignment happens gradually, according to agreed deadlines. “The European Union doesn’t expect, has never asked, and the agreement doesn’t require San Marino to be fully compliant before the deal enters into force.” Some measures will need to be adopted immediately, others will have one, two or three years to be implemented. A margin, he warned, that cannot be used as an excuse to delay the work.
Beccari also claimed there remains room for negotiation even after signing. New European provisions will go through discussion within the joint committee, where San Marino will be able to request adjustments and timelines suited to its circumstances. “I’ve always said our diplomatic work is changing: first we negotiated an agreement, now we’ll be negotiating its implementation.”
On the domestic front, the proposal remains an annual law to plan the transposition process, leaving the choice of procedures to the Council. Matters with political weight could follow the ordinary parliamentary process, while technical matters could use faster tools. “Simplifying or streamlining doesn’t mean stripping away prerogatives.”
More delicate is the possibility of automatically adopting future changes to European rules as well. Beccari acknowledged the impact this would have on the Council’s powers and clarified that it isn’t a mandatory choice for launching the agreement. However, he urged a distinction between technical standards, where the room for manoeuvre is limited, and areas such as public procurement. “You always retain control over this choice — it isn’t the government that decides on its own what gets submitted to dynamic transposition.”
As for the volume of rules to be addressed, he clarified that thousands of European provisions could be consolidated into a far smaller number of Sammarinese measures. He promised a correlation table to make the workload measurable. What remains to be decided is how to organise the Council’s work: more time in session or procedures to ease the burden. “Taking on a heavier workload, though, requires different considerations about feasibility: if I have more work, I need to spend more time here.”
To support the administration, talks have also begun with the European Commission. “They’re working out a formula to make officials available to us as well — people who would come to San Marino on a stable basis for one, two or three years, helping us with the areas we consider most technically complex.” The support would mainly concern the organisation of offices, procedures, new registries and the functioning of the new authorities.
