The signing of the Association Agreement between San Marino and the European Union opens a new phase, one focused on putting the deal into practice. That is the position of Repubblica Futura, which welcomes the signature as a milestone for the country while also levelling criticism at the government alongside its support for the European path.
“The signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union is a fundamental point from which to build a new framework of relations to guarantee development and prosperity for the citizens and businesses of our country,” the party’s statement reads.
For RF, today’s step now calls for concrete commitment. “Repubblica Futura believes the signature is a starting point, not a finishing line. Playtime is over, along with the slogans the government has accustomed us to in recent years. A new phase begins in which, through a general framework — the Association Agreement — the Republic of San Marino will be able to regulate its relations with the European Union in an organic and balanced way.”
The party recalls that the negotiations spanned several legislatures and governing majorities, claiming credit for its contribution both in government and in opposition. “It is the result of years of work, carried out by at least five different governments, with composite majorities representing the full institutional spectrum of the country. Repubblica Futura has made its contribution both in government and in opposition, with consistency and coherence.”
The development of relations with the EU is identified as the axis around which San Marino’s future international relations should be built. At the same time, RF acknowledges the concerns of part of the population and points a finger at how the executive has managed the dossier: “Citizens’ fears, faced with such a vast horizon, are reasonable and understandable, not least because of the government’s hesitant policies and a series of missteps that have dragged out the timeline for closing the Agreement.”
The Republic’s European orientation remains, for the party, the guiding reference point: “But Europe is the natural cultural, social and historical setting to which San Marino belongs, and the implementation phase of the Association Agreement is an appointment with history that must not be missed.”
Attention now turns to the political and institutional steps ahead. “From today, the real work begins to give shape and substance to the content of the Agreement. There will be political and institutional steps ahead, which Repubblica Futura will approach with the same consistency it has always shown on the European dossier, where we have always placed national interest first.”
