EU agreement sparks debate over whether people involved in French riots could move to Andorra

Former Escaldes-Engordany councillor Sandra Tomàs has warned that French citizens who took part in riots in recent days could move to Andorra once the Association Agreement with the European Union is applied.

In a post on her X account, she linked the violent incidents in France to the changes the agreement would bring to mobility between the Principality and EU member states. 

Els delinqüents/violents que ahir van assaltar comerços i incendiar ajuntaments són francesos que amb l'acord d'associació podrien treballar i residir a Andorra, i reagrupar els seus familiars, sense cap control d'antecedents penals. #ReferendumJa

— Sandra Tomàs 🇦🇩 (@SandraTomasM) October 18, 2026

Tomàs said people involved in attacks on shops and fires at public buildings could live and work in Andorra, as well as bring their family members to the country. She added the hashtag #ReferendumJa, calling for a referendum on the agreement.

The issue is particularly sensitive because protests in France have involved violence and damage to property. The possibility that some participants could move to the Principality has prompted debate about the scope of free movement and the conditions under which EU citizens could live and work in Andorra.

Agreement would create more favourable mobility framework

If the agreement is applied, French citizens would have more favourable access to residency and employment in the Principality than under current procedures.

French nationality would allow them to use the new mobility framework, as would the nationality of other EU citizens, subject to the conditions for residency in Andorra.

This does not mean that a permit would be granted automatically or that anyone could move to the country without meeting requirements. 

The agreement would, however, change the terms of access for EU citizens and make it easier for them to settle in the Principality. It would also allow for family reunification under the terms set out in the agreement.

Landry Riba, Secretary of State for Relations with the European Union, has challenged Tomàs’s interpretation and questioned whether French nationality would automatically allow someone to live and work in Andorra or bring family members to the country.

The agreement’s signing in Brussels on Monday does not mean it will apply immediately. The text must still complete the required institutional procedures before the new mobility rules can take effect. Tomàs’s scenario therefore relates to the agreement’s future application, not an immediate change to the current rules.