elENGLISH Periòdic EDITION NewsM O N 2 4 ALTERNATIVES TO THE TOBACCO Farmers are ready to do grow cannabis plantations The APRA proposes to the Government a pilot They say as a condition to be able to participate test to verify the viability of this crop in the process of leaf transformation TONY LARA so in the process of preparation of cannabis essential oils, ‘’ which are XAVIER COMA made by pharmaceuticals. Accord- PRESIDENT OF THE APRA ing to Coma, «only in this way could we be competitive in the country, «We can take on the crop; the because cannabis leaf would prob- ably be cheaper, but if we made the machinery is similar to tobacco and product here, at a fiscal level we we would only need greenhouses » would surely be counted.» INTER-MINISTERIAL STUDY The Gov- ernment noted that the/ propos- «Plantations would be confined to al comes from the private sector and is still in a very early stage. «It ensure safety and prevent pollination would fall into the plan to diversi- fy agriculture, in the same way that of cannabis crops» other alternatives such as cranber- ry cultivation have been studied,» said the Executive. For his part, the president of the APRA confessed that the cannabis project would be being analysed by several min- istries at once to see how much ap- proval could be for this crop. In this regard, Coma explained that, in the case of a reality, «plantations would be confined inside green- houses, not like in other parts of the world, in our country.» Not just for the heat they need but for the cannabis seed contamination and for safety reasons. « OLD PROPOSALS It is worth remem- bering that the/ environmentalist and leftist Greens of Andorra party advocated the legalization of can- Xavier Coma, President of the Farmers and Livestock Association (APRA) during an interview. nabis in its program for medicinal 33 purposes. Its leader, Isabel Lozano, EL PERIÒDIC ing at APRA assemblies for seven volving the missing experts, «from stated that «a model similar to the ESCALDES-ENGORDANY years now and we see it with good The project is being plant cultivation to first process- one used in Switzerland is proba- @PeriodicAND eyes. We are ready to take up culti- reviewed by various ing.» To do so, they would ask for a bly proposed, where cannabis is inister Calvó turned vation, the machinery is very sim- «legal exception,» and in the event legal and in fact works very well on the cannabis debate ilar to tobacco and we would only ministries to see the that the Government and farmers for geographical reasons.» Lozano and passed it on to the need greenhouses, «said Coma. extent to which it would see that it works, they would call added that «the legalization of this MFarmers and Livestock Last Thursday, Minister of Ag- be approved for legal action to begin. plant in the Alpine country led to a Association (APRA). Its chairman, riculture and Environment Sílvia revitalization of the pharmaceuti- Xavier Coma, confirmed in EL PER- Calvó revealed that they were con- PRODUCERS The only condition cal sector». IÒDIC yesterday that all tobacco sidering diversifying crops with that APRA would/ endorse the Gov- In the same vein, Coma shared growers in Andorra would be pre- the entry of cannabis into the Prin- ernment proposal would be that Lozano’s opinion, «cannabis in the pared to grow cannabis for thera- cipality. In response, APRA ad- «the producer also participates in country will open new markets and peutic use, should the Government vanced to this press release, which the first transformation, that is, diversify the economy,» he con- approve it. «We have been speak- they would like to «pilot-test,» in- not only cultivating the leaf, but al- cluded. H 16 www.elperiodic.ad MONDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2020 el Periòdic News THE BREXIT GOES AHEAD OF THE ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT Negotiations with the EU will last two and a half years The change of Government and the agreed departure of the United Kingdom delay the planning for Andorra SFGA / CESTEVE EL PERIÒDIC ANDORRA LA VELLA @PeriodicAND he work to reach a future partnership agreement continues but with a half Tyear delay on the Execu- tive’s initial schedule. Although Andorra has been working to carry out analyses and reports on the different aspects to be dealt with, the change of representa- tives to the highest bodies of the European Union and the redistri- bution of cash towards the talks for an agreed departure from the The United Kingdom and the EU have slowed the pace of dialogue and extended two and a half ye- ars. A fact was warned yesterday by the Secretary of State for Euro- pean Affairs, Landry Riba, at the informative breakfast organized in the Government building. An agreement that will have to be The chapters already closed will not be affected by the negotiations that the EU has with the United Kingdom signed, submitted for a referen- dum and ratified by the General Council and, where appropriate, by the 27 Member States. «There may be some influen- ce on post-Brexit negotiation when it comes to the issues we find in both projects,» said Ri- ba, although these are negotiati- ons «that seek to reach different instruments.» While the United The Secretary of State for European Affairs, Landry Riba, during the informative breakfast at the end of the Association agreement with the European Union. Kingdom seeks purely economic 33 agreement, the Andorran text is political and economic. Similar- restructuring being carried out ly, they do not treat the same is- at European level. sues because, while the English 2020 negotiation calendar authorities speak of defense and VISIBILITY OF NEGOTIATIONS The Exe- citizen security, Andorran peo- cutive will resume meetings/ to March 2020 X - Services in general ple do so of free movement. Dia- explain the progress in the part- V - Free movement of workers XVI - Public procurement logues that should not affect the nership agreement in March VI - Social Security XX - Environment already closed chapters of agree- with representatives of the pro- ments, such as the merchandise. Landry Riba fessional sectors. Thus, he has VIII - Freedom of establishment «It will inevitably hurt, but we S. OF STATE OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS planned meetings with profes- XVIII - Equality, right of work December 2020 do not know how much,» said the «We will see if the sional colleges and groups of te- XI - Postal services nured workers such as lawyers, Secretary of State in reference to XII - Free movement of capital the Brexit, at a time when nego- schedule provided economics and technical and he- June 2020 tiations are just beginning and alth professions. Meetings that IIV - Energy «there are only talks and positi- [by the secretariat] any company will also be able to XI - Information, audiovisual and February 2021 ons». Uncertainty in a never-be- can be kept request to resolve possible speci- telecommunications society XIV - Competition fore-seen agreement makes the fic doubts. Public meetings will stage «extremely open». Howe- strictly» also resume in April, this time fo- services XV - State aid ver, he hopes that the talks will cusing on the free movement of XIII - Transport XXII - Company rights not last longer than the planned goods. XVII - Intellectual Property 11 months, given the large struc- However, and on the occasion XIX - Consumer protection Technical exchanges ture that has been established to of the thirtieth anniversary of re- work on different issues in para- lations with the European Uni- XXI - Statistics I - Veterinary, phytosanitary llel. on, the Secretary of State will pu- and food safety aspects Among the subjects with the blish various audio-visual inter- October 2020 XXIV - Agriculture most advanced negotiation, the views with the most important Secretary of State cited energy, actors, as well as two exhibitions, II - Technical regulations, XXIII - Customs transport or telecommunicati- one on the tasks carried out over certifications XXV - Trade ons. Financial services are the on- the three decades and the second III - Production responsibilities IX - Financial services (outside ly ones that have been left out of in collaboration with the associa- VII - Recognition of degrees of initial planning) the agreements, due to the same tion Cartooning for Peace. H www.elperiodic.ad MONDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2020 el Periòdicel Periòdic d’Andorra News 1717 ANA CASINO CONSTRUCTION Marsol denies that the connection to the Plaza del Poble was a condition The consul contradicts the fused a license». In this sense, Mar- sol continued his positive attitude Government and complains by saying that «I do not lose hope about the obstacles that it puts that it will be fixed and can be taken forward, as there are still resources that need to be studied». According EL PERIÒDIC to the senior consul of Andorra la ESCALDES-ENGORDANY Vella, «the information I had was @PeriodicAND that the winning project met all the he senior consul of Andor- requirements». ra la Vella, Conxita Marsol, However, Marsol did not want yesterday showed his dis- to conflict with his party partner Tcomfort with the way the and Finance Minister and spokes- construction of the future casino man Eric Jover, but he stated that is evolving. Yesterday, after the Car- «the connection to the Plaza del Po- nival parade in Santa Coloma, Mar- ble was not established, I have been sol passed all the information that saying it for active and for passive, is being published regarding the re- and that is why it is very surprising The senior consul of Andorra la Vella, Conxita Marsol. fusal of the license to Games SA and that this is the reason for refusal.