Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys (Consell General de las Valls: elections last held 12 December 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (28 total) AND 8, UL 5, ND 5, CNA 2, IDN 2, other 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan (France) for civil cases, two civil judges appointed by the veguers, one appeals judge appointed by the co-princes alternately; Ecclesiastical Court of the Bishop of Seo de Urgel (Spain) for civil cases; Tribunal of the Courts (Tribunal des Cortes) for criminal cases, presided over by the two civil judges, one appeals judge, the veguers, and two members of the General Council
Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Group (AND),
Oscar RIBAS Reig and Jordi FARRAS; Liberal Union (UL), Francesc
CERQUEDA; New Democracy (ND), Jaume BARTOMEU; Andorran National
Coalition (CNA), Antoni CERQUEDA; National Democratic Initiative
(IDN), Vincenc MATEU; Liberal Union (UL), Marc FORNE
note: there are two other small parties
International organization participation: CE, ECE, IFRCS,
Interpol, IOC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, WIPO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Juli MINOVES-TRIQUELL (also Permanent
Representative to the UN)
embassy: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017
telephone: (212) 750-8064
FAX: (212) 750-6630
US diplomatic representation: the US does not have an embassy in
Andorra; US interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate
General's office in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina
Elisenda, 23, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; telephone: (343) 280-2227;
FAX: (343) 205-7705; note - Consul General Maurice S. PARKER makes
periodic visits to Andorra
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar to the flags of Chad and Romania that do not have a national coat of arms in the center
Economy ———-
Economic overview: Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny, well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 13 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its "tax haven" status, also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production is limited by a scarcity of arable land, and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is treated as an EU member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs) and as a non-EU member for agricultural products.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1993 est.)