Emmanuel Macron is visiting Andorra as co-prince, where he is expected to support efforts to decriminalize abortion amid ongoing policy debates in the country.
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France’s president Emmanuel Macron is in Andorra, performing his duties as the state’s co-prince, alongside the Catholic Bishop of Urgell, Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat.
France's president and Andorra’s co-prince Emmanuel Macron arrives as he is welcomed by the second co-prince Josep-Lluis Serrano Pentinat (R), ahead of a dinner in Andorra. Photograph: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
That in itself could be at best a factoid for your next politics geek pub quiz, but – as briefly covered in yesterday’s Europe Live – there is a serious element to it as his visit comes at a time of policy debate on abortion in the country, which continues to have some of the most restrictive laws in Europe.
Radio France International reported that Andorra’s prime minister Xavier Espot Zamora has “indicated he hopes to decriminalise abortion within a year, though not necessarily legalise it,” but the microstate’s governance setup involving a Catholic bishop makes it tricky.
During today’s speech as Andorra’s co-prince, Macron is expected to speak frankly about the issue and back the changes, as well as endorse plans for Andorra to ratify its association agreement with the European Union, which could be done as early as in July.
Emmanuel Macron serves as one of Andorra's co-princes, alongside the Catholic Bishop of Urgell.
Andorra has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in Europe, and there is ongoing debate about decriminalizing the procedure.
Macron's visit coincides with discussions on abortion reform, making his support potentially influential in changing the country's laws.
The other co-prince of Andorra is Josep-Lluis Serrano Pentinat, the Catholic Bishop of Urgell.
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Last night, Macron raised a toast “from heart” to celebrate Andorra’s unique history and international position, with political talks only taking place behind the closed doors, but today we should hear more.
Andorra’s public broadcaster RTVA reported on Monday that Macron confirmed that abortion would feature in his speech, with the Catholic co-prince conceding that “we must move forward without breaking the institutional seams.” Let’s see what that means.
I will bring you the key lines from Macron’s speech later.
Separately, the European Parliament is expected to discuss the next EU budget, and the European Commission to talk about reforming its regulatory environment.
Again, I will keep an eye on this for you.
It’s Tuesday, 28 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
Meanwhile, Macron is visiting the Andorran primary school in Santa Coloma and absolutely loving spending his time with kids, happily posing to pictures with the Andorran flags.
Last week, he suggested he would quit politics at the end of his term in May next year, and so we should expect to see more of this sort of legacy-building trips and interventions as he enters the final year in office.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron is in Andorra, performing his duties as the state’s co-prince, alongside the Catholic Bishop of Urgell, Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat.
France's president and Andorra’s co-prince Emmanuel Macron arrives as he is welcomed by the second co-prince Josep-Lluis Serrano Pentinat (R), ahead of a dinner in Andorra. Photograph: Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images
That in itself could be at best a factoid for your next politics geek pub quiz, but – as briefly covered in yesterday’s Europe Live – there is a serious element to it as his visit comes at a time of policy debate on abortion in the country, which continues to have some of the most restrictive laws in Europe.
Radio France International reported that Andorra’s prime minister Xavier Espot Zamora has “indicated he hopes to decriminalise abortion within a year, though not necessarily legalise it,” but the microstate’s governance setup involving a Catholic bishop makes it tricky.
During today’s speech as Andorra’s co-prince, Macron is expected to speak frankly about the issue and back the changes, as well as endorse plans for Andorra to ratify its association agreement with the European Union, which could be done as early as in July.
Last night, Macron raised a toast “from heart” to celebrate Andorra’s unique history and international position, with political talks only taking place behind the closed doors, but today we should hear more.
Andorra’s public broadcaster RTVA reported on Monday that Macron confirmed that abortion would feature in his speech, with the Catholic co-prince conceding that “we must move forward without breaking the institutional seams.” Let’s see what that means.
I will bring you the key lines from Macron’s speech later.
Separately, the European Parliament is expected to discuss the next EU budget, and the European Commission to talk about reforming its regulatory environment.
Again, I will keep an eye on this for you.
It’s Tuesday, 28 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
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