Andorra Interested In EEA-Style Agreement With EU - Foreign Minister

Andorra's plans in terms of EU integration consist of concluding a European Economic Area (EEA) agreement with the bloc following the example of such non-EU member states as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and accessing the EU internal market, Andorran Foreign Minister Maria Ubach Font told Sputnik on Wednesday.

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th October, 2018) Andorra's plans in terms of EU integration consist of concluding a European Economic Area (EEA) agreement with the bloc following the example of such non-EU member states as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and accessing the EU internal market, Andorran Foreign Minister Maria Ubach Font told Sputnik on Wednesday.

According to the minister, the Andorran authorities are currently negotiating an association agreement with the European Union along with two other European microstates Monaco and San Marino.

"In fact we would like to have a sort of agreement that already Liechtenstein, it is another small country in Europe, Norway and Iceland have with the European Union. The three of them they have an agreement that is called the EEA agreement. They already have this agreement that permits them to participate in this internal market, so our idea Andorra, Monaco and San Marino would be to have a sort of agreement that three other countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein already have with the European Union," the minister indicated.

She stressed that for the time being Andorra was not seeking EU membership, but wanted to enjoy the benefits of a common market with the bloc.

"The next step is to promote this cooperation with the European Union to have the possibility to participate in the internal market of the European Union and to give the opportunity to Andorran companies to expand themselves outside Andorra, have this possibility, also have the possibility for the citizens of Andorra if they want to travel or students if they want to study in one country of the European Union they can do that," the minister explained.

She expressed her hope that some sort of agreement with the European Union might be signed in the near future, adding that the talks with the bloc were complicated and time-consuming.

"We have this year 2018, we had already six negotiation meetings with the European Union and we still have two sessions of negotiations at the end of October and the end of November, so the work is still going. Hopefully we will be able to sign something in the close future," she stated.

The EEA agreement allows the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital between the European single market and the market of the signatory to the deal.