National Council leads Europe’s smaller states towards historic agreement
The 18th Conference of Speakers of Parliament of the Small States of Europe was held in Cyprus © Romain Fondacaro - Conseil National
The National Council is taking the lead in strengthening cooperation between the smaller European countries to give them more weight on the international stage.
The 18th Conference of Speakers of Parliament of the Small States of Europe was held in Cyprus from 14 to 16 September. The nine participating parliaments: Andorra, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro and San Marino, reached an important milestone in their collaboration.
Thomas Brezzo, President of the National Council, put forward an ambitious project: to create a veritable inter-parliamentary cooperation agreement. The aim of the proposal is to give a stronger voice to small states in major international organisations. The nine parliaments have worked together informally since the conference was created in Monaco in 2006, with good relations and ad hoc discussions.
The aim is to take it to the next level. The proposed agreement includes several major innovations: the creation of a permanent office, coordinated communication between countries, regular exchanges of information on common issues and, above all, coordinated voting in international bodies: “This agreement is not an end in itself, but a starting point,” explained the National Council President. He hopes that the union will enable the Small States to better defend their specific needs and have more influence in major global debates.
Next stop Andorra
Following discussions in Cyprus, the presidents of the nine parliaments unanimously agreed to continue working on the draft agreement. It should be ready for signature in the next few months, at the latest during the 19th conference scheduled to take place in Andorra in 2026. The Monegasque delegation was led by Thomas Brezzo, accompanied by Jean-Louis Grinda, Fabrice Notari, Thomas Manrique and Benjamin Cellario.