Andorra has confirmed it is taking part in two high-level international summits this week, starting with the European Political Community (EPC) meeting in Dublin today. It would then travel to Phnom Penh for the Francophonie summit on November 15-16.
Head of Government Xavier Espot was due to join leaders from almost 50 European countries at the ninth EPC summit, hosted by Ireland during its presidency of the Council of the European Union. According to an Andorran Government statement issued on November 11, the meeting would allow leaders to address Europe’s main political, economic and security challenges.
The government said Andorra’s attendance reflected its wish to have a voice in European forums for dialogue and cooperation. It added that the summit would help strengthen ties with European partners.
The EPC was launched in 2022 at the initiative of French President Emmanuel Macron, who is also one of Andorra’s two co-princes, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. EU leaders were set to stay on in Dublin on November 13 for an informal meeting on artificial intelligence, to which European Council President António Costa added a debate on the war in Ukraine.
The trip came less than a month after Andorra and San Marino signed an association agreement with the EU in Brussels on October 19. The deal would give the principality access to the EU single market while allowing it to keep border controls and remain outside the bloc.
The agreement has yet to clear its final hurdles at home. Espot said his government would call a consultative referendum once the European Parliament had approved the text, though opposition groups had pushed for a vote before any signature was made.
Polls point to a difficult campaign. A spring survey by Andorra Recerca i Innovació (AR+I) found 46.4 per cent of respondents would vote against the agreement, with 33.5 per cent in favour.
In Phnom Penh, Espot was scheduled to attend the 20th Francophonie summit, held under the theme of reinvesting in peace for shared prosperity and sustainable stability. According to the government, he would take part in debates on peacebuilding and stability as well as in working sessions of heads of state and government.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Imma Tor Faus was to represent Andorra on November 14 at the 48th Ministerial Conference of La Francophonie, which prepares the documents later put before the summit. Andorra has been a full member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie since 2004.
The Andorran Government said attending both meetings would reinforce its presence in the main European and francophone multilateral forums. The Phnom Penh gathering would be the first Francophonie summit held in Asia since Hanoi hosted it in 1997.
