SAN MARINO HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN INCLUDED INTO EUSAIR!

EUSAIR family has been expanded also to San Marino, which is from today, 14 February 2022 the 10th participating country in the Adriatic - Ionian macro-regional strategy.

We look forward to this strengthened regional cooperation and broader multi-level policy dialogue for a more integrated and sustainable Adriatic - Ionian macro-region, as well as to further support the enlargement process of the Western Balkans. Slowly but surely we are becoming a strong Adriatic-Ionian region that cooperates efficiently and offers common solutions for common challenges. The fact that we are the fastest growing macro-regional strategy can certainly be considered recognition of good performance in this area.

A quick About San Marino

San Marino, small republic situated on the slopes of Mount Titano, on the Adriatic side of central Italy between the Emilia-Romagna and Marche regions and surrounded on all sides by the republic of Italy. It is the smallest independent state in Europe after Vatican City and Monaco, some would even name it as a European microstate and, until the independence of Nauru (1968), the smallest republic in the world. San Marino covers a land area of just over 61 km2 and has a population of 33,562

Because centuries-long quarrying has exhausted Mount Titano’s stone and ended the craft that depended upon it, the territory is now without mineral resources. All electrical power is transferred via electrical grid from Italy, San Marino’s main trading partner. The country’s principal resources are industry, tourism, commerce, agriculture, and crafts. Manufactures include electronics, paint, cosmetics, ceramics, jewelry, and clothing. Ceramic and wrought-iron articles, as well as modern and reproduction furniture, are among San Marino’s traditional craft products. Fine printing, particularly of postage stamps, is a consistent source of revenues. Banking is a vital industry. In 2002 San Marino replaced the Italian lira with the euro as its national currency. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world in GDP per capita, with a figure comparable to the most developed European regions

Agriculture, although no longer the principal economic resource in San Marino, remains vital. Wheat, grapes, and barley are the chief crops; dairying and livestock also are important. About three-fourths of the land is given to permanent cultivation. As the climate is mild and temperate is moving between 26 °C in summer and −7 °C in winter, it is great for various vegetation, which is typical of the Mediterranean zone.

San Marino citizens, or Sammarinesi, make up more than four-fifths of the country’s population, with Italians composing most of the remainder. The official language is Italian. A widely spoken dialect has been defined as Celto-Gallic, akin to the Piedmont and Lombardy dialects as well as to that of Romagna.

San Marino's perspective on joining EUSAIR

What was the driving force or idea in San Marino's decision to join EUSAIR? What are your expectations from cooperation in EU macro-regional strategy? How can EUSAIR contribute to the future of San Marino and vice versa? 

San Marino expressed its wish to participate in EUSAIR in order to strengthen the already established cooperation among the Member Countries of the Adriatic and Ionian Initiative, as well as to contribute to the promotion of common interests related to issues of great strategic importance for the future, such as environment, resources and tourism. The Covid-19 pandemic also reinforced the conviction that regional cooperation, especially with the neighbouring Italian regions, is essential to deal with the health emergency and to assist citizens. San Marino can only benefit from participating in a macro-regional cooperation platform. The process of greater macro-regional integration undertaken by San Marino will undoubtedly be essential to imagine and plan a future where vulnerabilities can become elements of sustainable prosperity for the stakeholders involved in the strategy.

In your opinion, which are the 3 most important opportunities that EUSAIR should build upon and which goals is San Marino planning to pursue within EUSAIR?

San Marino’s action may be included in a new cooperation framework which will also be a highly valuable instrument for safety and recovery, taking into account the advantages deriving from the shared planning of projects of territorial improvement, environmental sustainability and tourist promotion, capable of promoting the heritage and potential of the Adriatic and Ionian macro-region. This cooperation will also allow to complement the skills and knowledge of the people who can act as technical experts and participate in the thematic groups of the Strategy: the dialogue with other technical experts already working in EUSAIR will be fundamental to acquire an adequate professional capacity to obtain specific results.

What is in your opinion the added value of EUSAIR comparing to other developments, strategies, policies, programmes and trends at the EU level?

The founding ties dear to the Republic of San Marino can be found in the Northern Adriatic region. These ties explain not only its birth and the subsequent historical events, but also connect the Republic to common challenges posed by the need to sustain regional cohabitation.

Despite its small territorial size, compared to the other Member Countries, which are much larger in terms of geography and population, San Marino hopes to be able to strengthen the principles underlying the process of European integration, which has found its appropriate and specific regional location in the EUSAIR, also resulting in appropriate policies of social, territorial and economic cohesion.

- answers were edited by the Directorate of European Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs

Take a look also at the article San Marino welcomes inclusion in EUSAIR in

The official documents testifying the accession of San Marino to the EUSAIR:
-          Addendum to the EUSAIR communication