EDITORIAL | Either You Have a Successful Model or You Don't
Editorial Board
On Wednesday, a former Head of Government acting as a spokesperson or communicator for the State Pact (a euphemism for the group bringing together supporters of the YES vote on the Association Agreement) made some important statements on Andorra's national public radio and television.
First, we would like to highlight a very positive development for the health of Andorran democracy: Citizens will be able to vote YES or NO on the Association Agreement (AA) without any fear that the EU will punish Andorra or place the country on grey or blacklists. Indeed, Jaume Bartumeu clearly acknowledged that it was not true that the EU had placed Monaco on the FATF grey list because it had suspended negotiations on the AA. Finally, a representative voice of the State Pact has recognised that the EU does not punish countries for rejecting an Association Agreement.
Secondly, we must highlight a rather disturbing point: We heard a former Head of Government claim on public radio and television that French authorities had allegedly stated that the Élysée Palace had instructed Monaco to suspend negotiations on the AA with the EU because the FATF was going to place the country on a grey list, and negotiations could not take place with a country on such a list. This is a worrying claim, given that the theory is not supported by any official French document. All official or institutional statements from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the French Embassy in Andorra, the Government of Monaco and the European institutions unanimously maintain an official account that contradicts Jaume Bartumeu's theory. The unanimous official position is that Monaco and the EU agreed to suspend negotiations because of irreconcilable red lines: priority for Monegasque nationals in access to public housing, national preference in access to public and private sector jobs, and restrictions on foreign nationals establishing economic activities.
It is concerning that a former Head of Government of Andorra would publicly contradict the official position of the French Government, the Government of Monaco and the European institutions without providing any official documentation. Even more concerning is that he does so while belittling the governing capacity of a friendly principality such as Monaco. Jaume Bartumeu's theory appears to be based primarily on his interpretation of an ARTE television programme and alleged off-the-record opinions, without providing or citing any official statement from France or Monaco and while contradicting the official account.
Monaco's removal from the FATF grey list renders Jaume Bartumeu's theory absurd, as he claims that France forced Monaco to withdraw from negotiations because the country was about to be placed on the FATF grey list. If this theory were true, then once Monaco had been removed from the FATF grey list, it would be able to resume negotiations. However, the reality is that Monaco has made it perfectly clear that it has no intention of resuming negotiations with the EU, regardless of its removal from the FATF grey list.
This would confirm that Jaume Bartumeu's theory has no official backing and is simply his own theory. And nobody else's.
It would also confirm the strength of the official position maintained by France, Monaco and the EU, namely that Monaco and the EU jointly suspended negotiations in order to preserve preferential access for Monegasque nationals to subsidised housing, employment opportunities and economic activities.
The reality is that, since Monaco suspended negotiations with the EU — regardless of whether it was on the FATF grey list — its economy has grown at twice the rate of Andorra's. And this despite the fact that Andorra has continued negotiating and has never been on the FATF grey list. This demonstrates that a country's success goes far beyond negotiations over an Association Agreement or inclusion on FATF grey lists. The essential question for a country's economic and social future is whether it has a successful model or not.
