On 16 July 2026, the Council of the European Union adopted a decision to sign and provisionally apply an association agreement between the EU, its Member States, Andorra, and San Marino. The signing is planned for late September 2026, with Member States required to sign the agreement before the EU and the two countries do so. The agreement will be available for Member States' Permanent Representatives to sign on 9 and 23 September 2026, in the margins of Coreper II meetings. Member States must deposit an instrument of Full Powers with the Council's Treaties and Agreements Office if their plenipotentiary is not a Head of State, Head of Government, or Minister for Foreign Affairs. Permanent Representatives with a general authorisation from their authorities to sign EU agreements are exempt from the Full Powers requirement.
The decision marks a key step in deepening ties with Andorra and San Marino, bringing them closer to the EU's internal market and cooperation frameworks. The agreement covers areas such as trade, services, and mobility, and is expected to benefit businesses and citizens in all three parties. The Council's decision follows years of negotiations and signals the EU's commitment to expanding its association model to microstates. The signing process will conclude by 23 September 2026, after which the agreement will be provisionally applied pending ratification by all Member States and the European Parliament.