San Marino is preparing its public offices for the implementation of the association agreement with the European Union. New skills are needed, along with additional staff in certain areas and oversight authorities yet to be established. But the government wants to start with the reforms capable of opening up opportunities for businesses.
Charting the path is the Secretary of State for Internal Affairs Andrea Belluzzi, in a discussion held Monday, October 12, before the joint council commissions.
One of the first areas to be addressed is public procurement. For Belluzzi, aligning the rules with European directives should serve to simplify procedures and allow San Marino companies to compete beyond the country’s borders.
“I’ve called it the European passport for our businesses, to go and compete abroad.” The goal is to provide access to opportunities currently off-limits: “To me, this is the main point, the heart of the association agreement: having opportunities that we don’t have today.”
Work on the public administration began in late summer 2024, through talks between the departments of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs and Public Administration. The departments examined European regulations to understand what changes would be necessary, from legislative action to office reorganization. The review of staffing needs produced varied results: some structures can take on the new tasks with current resources, while others require reinforcements or different professional skills. Belluzzi explains that he deliberately slowed down the definition of the third staffing requirement plan precisely to take these needs into account.
Among the announced changes is the transformation of the statistics unit into an autonomous and independent body, following its gradual separation from the IT department.
“I can announce that we are already prepared on this front.” The sector will need to ensure data exchange with the EU according to standards of autonomy that, the secretary explains, are not yet in place today. The strengthened unit will also need to provide policymakers and the economy with more analysis to base decisions on.
An antitrust authority must also be established. To avoid creating a separate administrative structure for every oversight body, Belluzzi is studying the option of a shared service supporting multiple authorities, handling administrative support work while leaving each body its own specific competencies.
This also applies to bodies that already exist, such as the Data Protection Authority (Garante della privacy), which currently lacks a basic administrative structure. “We will bring a study and a proposal on this to the floor or to committee.”
Implementing the agreement will also place a significant workload on the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale) and its commissions. Belluzzi is proposing shared amendments to the council’s regulations to manage this burden, while reaffirming the choice to prioritize measures capable of fostering growth and development.
The new opportunities, in the government’s intentions, should help offset the costs of investing in personnel and skills.
Another key point concerns training for public employees, a topic already raised with the unions as part of collective bargaining talks. “Training needs to involve staff beyond just management level.” Belluzzi wants to set aside time during working hours and create sector-specific training paths, with support from the university.
Every office will need to learn to track European initiatives in its own field while they are still being drafted, so as to anticipate the necessary adjustments and make the most of the speed with which a small state can make decisions.
