Escalé calls for a referendum on the EU agreement before commitments make people think “there’s no turning back”

Concòrdia president Cerni Escalé said it was “encouraging for the country” that people with different views had gathered at Plaça del Consell General on Monday with one shared demand: that the public be allowed to vote on the Association Agreement between Andorra and the European Union.

Speaking to La Veu Lliure, Escalé said the demonstration showed there was broad support for holding a vote. He again urged the Government to call the referendum “as soon as possible”.

The demonstration, organised by the Andorran Trade Union (USdA) and backed by Concòrdia, Som Veïns and Andorra Endavant, brought nearly 200 people to the area outside the General Council.

Representatives of the Social Democratic Party also attended. The gathering took place in the rain, just hours after Head of Government Xavier Espot signed the agreement in Brussels. The agreement is not yet in force.

Escalé said the text negotiated with the European Union had remained virtually unchanged since December 2023, when negotiations concluded.

He said this made it difficult to understand why the public had not yet been asked whether it supported the agreement. The Concòrdia leader also recalled that the Government had pledged in its election programme to hold a referendum.

Escalé calls for balanced coverage and government neutrality

The Concòrdia leader said the public must have access to the information needed to form an opinion and called for both supporters and opponents of the agreement to be heard. He also urged the Government to remain neutral when explaining the agreement’s content and consequences.

“The most important thing Andorra has is its ability to make its own decisions,” Escalé said, linking that ability to the country’s historical continuity.

He also expressed concern about the timetable for the steps following the signing. In his view, Andorra’s gradual assumption of commitments and the remaining institutional procedures could create the impression that the agreement is inevitable and that there is no longer room to turn back. 

He said this could make it increasingly difficult for the public to reject the agreement if the referendum is delayed.

Escalé appealed to “public responsibility” and “democratic consistency”, arguing that the vote should not be postponed until the agreement has completed the ratification process.

He said that timetable could coincide with the general election and argued that the referendum could be held beforehand or, if necessary, on the same day as the election.

According to Escalé, this would make it easier for people to vote and prevent the institutional timetable from delaying the decision further.

Concòrdia sees more negatives than positives

For Cerni Escalé and Concòrdia, the Association Agreement has more negative than positive aspects and could limit Andorra’s ability to make its own decisions.

Escalé said the country should give particular weight to its sovereignty and preserve its decision-making powers before taking on further commitments to the European Union.

“What we are asking for is for the people to be consulted”, the Concòrdia president said, reiterating that the public must be able to express its view on the agreement between Andorra and the European Union.

The demonstration took place on the same day the agreement was signed in Brussels. The signing, however, does not bring the agreement into immediate force; it must still complete the required institutional procedures.