The acquis communautaire and third countries: the application of EU law to Association Agreements

The Sammarinese Legal Institute has been studying the Association Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of San Marino for some time.

In particular, we are evaluating its impact on the economy of the State and the regulatory implications that it will end up determining also in light of the San Marino commitment to accept, in full, the acquis communautaire.

A key aspect of our research involves a comparative assessment of the various experiences of association or "special" agreements with the European Union. What we seek to do, in summary, is to assess how other countries, in situations similar to San Marino's, relate to the Union (with or without an Agreement).

With this in mind, we have organized an academic seminar on the topic for November 20th, starting at 10:30 a.m. at the University's Legal Institute, located at Salita alla Rocca 44.

We have decided to invite two distinguished academics, one from the Canton of Ticino and the other from the Principality of Liechtenstein, to discuss the current state of their respective territories' relations with the European Union, highlighting the positive aspects while also addressing the negative aspects.

Samuele Vorpe is a full professor at the SUPSI University of Lugano. During his presentation, he will focus on trade relations between the Swiss Confederation and the European Union from a customs perspective, and will also discuss the perennial issue of cross-border workers, a burning issue in his canton as well.

Martin Wenz, a full professor at the University of Liechtenstein in Vaduz, will illustrate the strengths of the European Economic Area, particularly regarding access to the EU financial market and the potential for the Principality to become a competitive hub for private wealth management through family foundations.

We believe that their experience will be useful in the future decisions of the Republic, which is committed to adopting the acquis communautaire, that is, the set of legal principles peacefully accepted by all European countries.

The event will conclude with a series of presentations by doctoral students and young scholars from Italy and San Marino, some of whom are members of the Republic's professional associations, who contribute in various capacities to the University of San Marino project coordinated by Professor Paolo Pascucci.

This is the first initiative of this kind, and we hope to organize others in the near future, this time involving scholars from Andorra and other territories whose positions are in some ways similar to those of the Republic.