| Co-Princes ofAndorra | |
|---|---|
| Coprínceps d'Andorra (Catalan) | |
 | |
| Incumbent | |
 | |
| Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat since 31 May 2025 | |
| Co-incumbent | |
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Emmanuel Macron since 14 May 2017 | |
| Details | |
| Style | His Excellency |
| First monarch | Pere d'Urtx Roger-Bernard III |
| Formation | 1278; 747 years ago (1278) |
| Residence | La Seu d'Urgell Cathedral (Spain) Élysée Palace (France) |
| Appointer | ThePope (for the Episcopal Co-Prince) French citizens (five years, renewable once consecutively) (for the French Co-Prince) |
 |
|---|
| Constitution |
 Andorra portal |
Theco-princes of Andorra are jointly theheads of state (Catalan:cap d'estat)[1] of thePrincipality of Andorra, a landlockedmicrostate lying in thePyrenees betweenFrance andSpain.
Founded in 1278 by a treaty between thebishop of Urgell and thecount of Foix, this uniquediarchicalarrangement has persisted through theMiddle Ages to the present. Following the transfer of the count of Foix's claims to theCrown of France and, subsequently, to the head of state of the French Republic, the current arrangement has the bishop of Urgell (Josep-Lluís Serrano Pentinat) serving as the episcopal co-prince and thepresident of France (Emmanuel Macron) as the lay co-prince. Each co-prince appoints apersonal representative. The episcopal co-prince is currently represented byEduard Ibáñez and the lay co-prince byPatrice Faure.[2][3][4]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Tradition holds thatCharlemagne granted a charter to the Andorran people in return for their fighting against theMoors. Thefeudal overlord of this territory was at first thecount of Urgell. In 988, however, the count,Borrell II, gave Andorra to theDiocese of Urgell in exchange for land inCerdanya.[5] The bishop of Urgell, based inSeu d'Urgell, has ruled Andorra ever since.[6]
Before 1095, Andorra did not have any type of military protection, and since the bishop of Urgell knew that the count of Urgell wanted to reclaim the Andorran valleys,[6] he asked for help from thelord of Caboet. In 1095, the lord and the bishop signed a declaration of their co-sovereignty over Andorra. Arnalda, daughter of Arnau of Caboet, married the viscount of Castellbò, and both became viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya. Their daughter, Ermessenda,[7] marriedRoger Bernat II, theFrenchcount of Foix. They became, respectively, Count and Countess of Foix, Viscount and Viscountess of Castellbò and Cerdanya, and also co-sovereigns of Andorra (together with the bishop of Urgell).[citation needed]
In the 11th century, a dispute arose between the bishop of Urgell and the count of Foix. The conflict was mediated byAragon in 1278, and led to the signing of the firstparéage, which provided that Andorra's sovereignty be shared between the count[6] and the bishop. This gave theprincipality its territory and political form, and marked the formal commencement of Andorra's unique diarchical arrangement.[citation needed]
Through inheritance, the Foix title to Andorra passed to thekings of Navarre. After Henry III of Navarre was crownedHenry IV of France, he issued an edict in 1607 establishing theking of France and the Bishop of Urgell as co-princes of Andorra. In 1812–13, theFirst French Empire underNapoleon annexedCatalonia and divided it into fourdépartements, with Andorra forming part of the district ofPuigcerdà (department ofSègre). Following the defeat of Napoleon, a royal decree reversed this annexation, and Andorra reverted to its former independence and political state.[8][9][10] TheFrench head of state—whether king, emperor, or president—has continued to serve as a co-prince of Andorra ever since.[citation needed]
On 12 July 1934, Andorra's monarchical system was challenged by an adventurer namedBoris Skossyreff, who issued a proclamation in Urgell declaring himself "Boris I, King of Andorra".[11] Though initially enjoying some support within Andorra's political establishment, he was ultimately arrested by Spanish authorities on 20 July 1934 after declaring war on the Bishop of Urgell (who had refused to relinquish his own claim to the principality). Skossyreff was expelled, and was never considered to have been the Andorran monarch in any legal sense.
Before 1993, Andorra hadno codified constitution, and the exact prerogatives of the co-princes were not specifically defined in law. In March 1993, aConstitution was approved by a vote of the Andorran people and signed into law by the two reigning co-princes at the time, BishopJoan Martí Alanis and PresidentFrançois Mitterrand. It clarified the continuance of the unique Andorran diarchy, and also delineated the precise role and prerogatives of the two co-princes. Prior to adoption of the Constitution, Andorra paid in odd-numbered years atribute of approximately $460 to the French ruler, while in even-numbered years, it paid a tribute of approximately $12 to the Spanish bishop, plus sixhams, six cheeses, and six live chickens. This medieval custom was subsequently abandoned in 1993.[12]
In 2009, French presidentNicolas Sarkozy threatened to abdicate as French co-prince if the principality did not change its banking laws to eliminate its longstanding status as atax haven.[13] TheEuropean Union also applied pressure to bring its tax laws into alignment with its taxation norms, and from 2013 to 2016Andorra made reforms, including a personal income tax, a general indirect tax, and an end to its banking secrecy policies.[14][15]
In 2014,Joan Enric Vives i Sicília said that he would abdicate as bishop of Urgell and co-prince of Andorra if the Andorran Parliament passed a law legalizing abortion. The bishopric would then be held inabeyance at least until the law had been promulgated, so that no cleric would have to sign it.[16] This would make Andorra the second country (after Belgium) where a head of state refused to sign a law legalizing abortion without preventing the law's promulgation. The legislative standoff was substantially de-escalated in 2018 whenPope Francis affirmed that Vives would need to abdicate if the law was passed, andabortion remains illegal in Andorra.[17][18] Activism has continued to try to change that.[19]
TheConstitution of Andorra carefully defines the exact role and prerogatives of the co-princes of Andorra today. The constitution establishes Andorra as a "parliamentary coprincipality",[20] providing for the bishop of Urgell and the president of France to serve together as joint heads of state.[21] The constitution distinguishes between which powers they may exercise on their own (Article 46), and which require the countersignature of the head of the Andorran government, or the approval of the "Síndic General", the presiding officer of the Andorran legislature (Article 45).
Powers the co-princes may exercise on their own include:[22]
Powers the co-princes may exercise in conjunction with the head of government include:[23]
Each co-prince is granted an annual allowance by the General Council to dispose of as he or she sees fit.[25] Each appoints a personal representative in Andorra,[26] and in the case of incapacitation of one of them, the constitution provides for the other prince to govern in his or her absence, with the concurrence of the Andorran head of government or the General Council.[27]
Certain treaties require the participation of the co-princes (or their designated representatives) in their negotiation process as well as their final approval; these are detailed in Articles 66 and 67 of the constitution.
The co-princes jointly retain the right to propose amendments to the constitution; this same right rests with the General Council.[28] They have no veto power over legislation passed by the General Council, though they do retain a veto over certain international treaties, as described above.
In case of vacancy of either co-prince, Andorra "recognizes the validity of the interim procedures foreseen by their respective statuses, in order for the normal function of Andorran institutions not to be interrupted".[29]
