Andorra i Spain they continue forward in the work to delimit the bordera negotiation that is progressing despite still being in an initial phase and that will have to resolve geographical discrepancies before addressing solutions. The ambassador of Spain in Andorra, Carlos Pérez-Desoyhe explained, during attention to the media on the occasion of official reception for Hispanic Daythat the process has two stages: identifying points of difference between the parties and then negotiating how to resolve them. The first phase could be practically completed in the next meetingexpected before the end of the year, but this would not mean that the delimitation was closed.
Carlos Pérez-Desoy
“We are insisting that this move forward, but Spain and France have many files on the table”
Pérez-Desoy noted that each point needs to be examined in detail, compare the different criteria and review the available documentationas there are aspects that are documented and others that require further checks. Once the discrepancies are identified, the second phase will open, focused on finding an agreed exit. The ambassador defended that the process must develop from cooperation and with the will to find positive solutions, without turning the border into an element of separation. “It’s not the Berlin Wall. We don’t want Berlin walls”, affirmed the Spanish representative, who placed dialogue and the search for consensus as the basis of the talks and defended that negotiations between neighbors must make it possible to address the pending issues frankly and without red lines.
Trilateral agreements
in parallel, Andorra, Spain and France negotiate one administrative agreement to order the management of borders and avoid the application of the European Entry/Exit System (EES). Pérez-Desoy confirmed that the three parties continue to negotiate this instrument, linked to the framework of the border agreement with the European Unionbut warned that the talks have just begun and there is no fixed date to complete it, although he placed before the end of the year the forecast of a new meeting. The working group must also deal with migration issues, including problems related to so-called false borders.
“If we move towards a friendlier border (…), there must be agreements for things to flow”
Border management also has an operational dimension at Andorra-la Seu d’Urgell airportthat Pérez-Desoy gave as an example of cross-border cooperation. The Government of Catalonia she owns it, Andorra finances air operations ilThe Spanish state is in charge of air navigation and security. If a border point is enabled for flights that require it, the controls will depend on the Spanish administration. The ambassador remarked that any progress must be accompanied by an orderly migration space and agreements that allow traffic to develop properly. “If we move towards a kinder, more porous border, at the same time there must be agreements for things to flow”, he explained.
The head of government, Xavier Espotexplained that Andorra he insists because the negotiations advanceif it goes recognize that setting a schedule is difficult because Spain i France they have many topical files on the table. For the time being, both countries have chosen not to apply the provisions of the EES while waiting for bilateral agreements, a situation that allows negotiations with margin. “Therefore, we negotiate with relative calm”, he said spotwho added that this time must be used to specify the practical methods of applying the system. the head of Government he considered that the agreement is in the interest of all parties and he trusts that the political changes in the neighboring countries will not stop its continuity.
DEFENSE OF EUROPE AS THE “NATURAL” EVOLUTION OF THE COUNTRY
The ambassador of Spain considered that the aassociation with the EU is “natural evolution” of principality and celebrated the signing, noting that the agreement responds to the geographical and historical reality of Andorra and must strengthen its integration. “Europe protects us because together we are stronger”, he said during the speech at the reception of the national holiday ofSpainhighlighting democratic and cooperative values. Pérez-Desoy he also remembered that it is up to the citizens to decide freely about the future.
