USdA announces withdrawal from cross-party pact on EU association agreement over lack of a referendum

The secretary general of the Unió Sindical d’Andorra (USdA), Gabriel Ubach, has announced in statements to La Veu Lliure that the union is withdrawing from the cross-party State Pact on the association agreement with the European Union.

The decision stems from the absence of a referendum before the agreement is signed, one of the organisation’s key demands when it joined the pact in May.

Ubach recalls that USdA joined with the intention of actively participating and pressing the pact’s members to hold the referendum during the summer, before the formal signing. He says the union did not join simply to listen to explanations about the agreement.

The union leader maintains that the organisation wants to keep its word and believes remaining in the pact no longer serves the purpose that justified its membership.

Ubach also explained that a document was recently circulated among the State Pact’s members for signature, but USdA has already refused to sign it and maintains that it will not do so.

The union wanted a referendum once the text was finalised

USdA’s position was that, with negotiations concluded and the text available to the public, the agreement should be put to a referendum before it was signed. Political parties outside the State Pact have also supported this demand.

La Veu Lliure reported a month ago that the agreement was expected to be signed in early October. Signing does not, in itself, bring the agreement into force, but the union argued that citizens should have their say before that step.

Ubach believes the referendum will no longer take place during the current parliamentary term and doubts whether it will be called later. This lack of confidence in the timetable is among the reasons he gives for the union’s withdrawal.

Ubach accuses the government of losing touch with people’s difficulties

The USdA secretary general also criticised the executive’s record, describing it as the worst government in Andorra’s history. He accused it of boasting about its achievements while some citizens cannot make ends meet.

The union leader contrasted the government’s rhetoric with the daily difficulties facing part of the population, arguing that a change of government could benefit the country.

Response to Espot over a possible change of government

Ubach also responded to remarks by Prime Minister Xavier Espot about the potential consequences of a government led by Cerni Escalé of Concòrdia or Carine Montaner of Andorra Endavant.

Responding to Espot’s warning that Andorra would suffer under such governments, the union leader argued that the country has already suffered enough under Espot and Demòcrates. On that basis, he rejected the idea that political change must necessarily be presented as a risk.