VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta will support San Marino in preparing for integration into the EU’s Single Market under a new Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two countries’ parliaments.
The agreement aims to help San Marino establish best practices in its legislative processes as it prepares to implement EU rules ahead of its planned entry into the Single Market.
San Marino has been negotiating an Association Agreement on participation in the Single Market since 2015, alongside Andorra and Monaco.
The MoU is understood to include guidance on scrutinising EU legislation and transposing it into national law.
A joint parliamentary committee made up of representatives from both countries met on Monday, alongside the signing of the agreement.
San Marino’s foreign affairs committee chair Michele Muratori described the agreement as a “great day” for the country’s parliament.
Labour MP Edward Zammit Lewis said such joint committees were important because they also engage citizens on key challenges facing the European Union, including the rule of law, fundamental rights and market access.
Nationalist MP Beppe Fenech Adami said Malta and San Marino could “achieve a lot together”, noting that the two countries have much to learn from one another.
“I hope this agreement will serve to strengthen collaboration between the two countries,” he said.
The EU’s Single Market allows for the free movement of goods, services, capital and people among participating states.
While it is a cornerstone of EU membership, the Single Market also includes non-EU countries such as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, as well as Switzerland, which has partial access.
Malta has been part of the Single Market since joining the European Union in 2004.
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