French President Emmanuel Macron used an official visit to the Principality of Andorra on April 28 to publicly pressure the tiny nation to legalize abortion — leveraging his constitutional role as co-prince of the country to advance an agenda that conflicts directly with Andorran law and the position of his Catholic co-ruler.
Andorra, along with the Vatican, is the last state in Europe where abortion is strictly prohibited. Speaking during the visit, Macron said: “I hope with affection that this debate progresses and that it allows a response to a demand that I hear. Your government has made a proposal to move forward. It seems proportionate to me.”
Andorra’s head of government Xavier Espot Zamora responded that his government is “striving to find a carefully considered and negotiated solution without compromising our political system,” and had previously expressed hope to decriminalize abortion within a year.
Any legislative change faces a direct constitutional obstacle: Article 8 of the Andorran Constitution explicitly “recognizes the right to life and fully protects it in its different stages,” meaning any reform would require a constitutional amendment. A bill expected in autumn 2025 and again in early 2026 has yet to materialize.
Macron’s co-ruling counterpart is Bishop Monsignor Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat. His predecessor had stated he would “abdicate” if abortion were decriminalized in Andorra. Macron first raised the abortion issue during his inaugural visit to the principality in 2019. Andorra’s constitution, its Catholic co-ruler, and the absence of any domestic groundswell demanding change stand as clear obstacles to the agenda Macron is pressing from Paris.
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