The negotiations on the cooperation agreement between the Principality of Monaco and the European Union, which began in 2015, are suspended - this is what the Monaco government wrote in its statement.
The decision was made after the last meeting between the executive vice-president of the European Commission, Maros Sefcovic, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Monaco, Isabelle Berro-Lefevre, Világgazdaság reports.
In a statement, the duchy's government wrote that they had conducted honest and cordial negotiations with the EU delegations, but it was impossible to reconcile their interests with the demands of the European Union
Moncaco Matin wrote.
We will not put the current living conditions of the citizens of Monaco at risk for the sake of the European Union
- reads the announcement. At the start of the negotiations in 2015, the duchy laid down some red lines that it refused to cross. Such was the provision of the working and living conditions of the citizens living in Monaco in a form that had been customary in the state until now.
Despite all this, the EU remains our priority partner
- they wrote in the information.
The negotiations, which started in 2015, were originally supposed to be concluded by December 31, 2023, but due to completely opposite expectations, Monaco ended the negotiations prematurely. At the same time, the dialogue between the parties is not interrupted. The Monaco government has indicated that the European Union has been and will remain an important partner.
The EU and Monaco share many common values and the Principality will continue to support the EU's action on the international stage, especially in the area of sanctions, the government wrote. They also stated that they are open to closer ties with the Union, in a way that does not come at the expense of the quality of life of their citizens.
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