The Andorran Business Confederation (CEA) is working on a proposal to reduce the impact it will have on companies, especially smaller ones, the adaptation to the set of rules derived from the association agreement with the European Union. The president of the entity, Gerard Cadenaexplained that the employers’ association has been studying formulas for months to prevent the assumption of new obligations from being “traumatic” for the business fabric and says that the proposal will be presented soon. chain he did not specify its content, but he argued that specific mechanisms will need to be deployed so that micro-enterprises can adapt to it.
The initiative also involves creating a stable support structure. chain proposed having an information point or office that allows specific questions to be resolved as new obligations or problems related to the application of the agreement. The idea, he pointed out, is inspired by formulas used by small states of the EU and of theEuropean Economic Areawhere there are services that work together with governments to guide companies.
“I think we can provide a solution that (…) will reassure many people”
The president of the CEA considered that this structure would be particularly useful for small companies, the majority in the country and with less capacity to assume their own legal or technical services. chain admitted that there is fear before the arrival of the European regulatory flow, but maintained that can be reduced with accompanying tools. “The fear is to say: when a tsunami arrives here, I don’t know how I will get out of it”, he summarized, adding that the proposal they are preparing “will reassure many people”.
“The association agreement can help us consolidate aspects that we still do not have sufficiently structured”
This work is not being done alone CEA chain assured that the employer, theAndorran Family Business (EFA) and the Chamber of Commerce for months they have been jointly analyzing the areas in which the agreement may have an impact on companies. The three entities are “about to close” this screening and plan to publish a joint position soon. they falla avoided advancing what will be the pronouncement of the three entities, although, in the case of the CEAmade the assessment clear: the consequences of one would not be “very negative” for Andorran business.
The president of the union defended that one of the key differences is the treatment he would receive Andorra in front of EU. according to chainit is not the same to remain as a third country as to become an associated country, because this can have effects on practical issues for companies, such as, for example, the treatment and export of waste or cross-border procedures. He also assured that the agreement would give more security to relationships and procedures that are not fully consolidated now.
chain he relativized the idea that the agreement should automatically lead to economic growth, pointing out that the Andorran economy is conditioned by external factors, from the evolution of neighboring countries to the geopolitical context, the price of fuel or international conflicts. Rather than attributing to the agreement an effect on growth, he emphasized the ability to give stability to economic relations with europe highlighting mechanisms provided for in the agreement, such as the joint committee or other processes and mechanisms, which, in his opinion, can allow Andorra transfer the particularities derived from its dimension before a certain European regulation has effects on the country.
On the scenario of an eventual rejection of the agreement, the president of the CEA he considered that there is no clear alternative plan right now and he assured that, according to the information that has been transferred to the employer, resuming a negotiation would be very difficult, with estimates that could exceed the decade. according to chainthese deadlines must also have an important weight in the public debate about the agreement and both the public and the business community must be aware of the risks.
