On 17-18 May 2023, Consul Prof Maurizio Bragagni Esq OBE received in a working visit to London, the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of San Marino, HE Dr Luca Beccari, accompanied by HE Dr Silvia Marchetti, Ambassador Non-Resident to the UK and First Secretary, Mrs Bojana Gruska.
The highlight of this visit was the signing of the Agreement between the government of the Republic of San Marino and the government of the United Kingdom for the elimination of double taxation with respect to taxes on income and the prevention of tax evasion and avoidance. The agreement was signed in a ceremony held at the HM Treasury building by HE Dr Luca Beccari and Mrs Victoria Atkins MP, Financial Secretary to the Treasury.
This agreement marks a milestone achievement in the work that Consul Bragagni and the staff of the Consulate are carrying out in promoting and protecting the best interest of San Marino and its citizens in the UK.
The agreement is part of the process of completing the legal framework of bilateral cooperation and will serve the business of both countries. Further, it will boost economic cooperation by offering additional guarantees for foreign direct investments. You may learn more about some of its main features here.
The process started around two years ago and it involved the work and contribution of many people, including the Captains Regent who visited twice the UK, Secretary of State Beccari’s three working visits, the parliamentarian visit to San Marino from members of the APPG on San Marino along with their continuous lobbying support to the UK government, Knights of the Order of St Agatha who assist the Consulate to canary out its mission, etc.
The agenda of the visit was very intensive and Dr Beccari had bilateral meetings with Mr Leo Docherty MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (Europe), Lord Dominic Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister for Investment, Department for Business and Trade and the Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chancellor of Exchequer.
The bilateral meeting reaffirmed the common understanding and wish of the two countries to strengthen bilateral cooperation and assist each other in security matters and achieving economic prosperity. The above meetings testified to the special place that the oldest democracy in the world- San Marino, has secured into the oldest and consolidated monarchy in the World- the UK.
During the meetings, there were discussed the state of current global affairs, multilateral diplomacy and the positions of respective governments, as well as the social and healthcare issues.
The working breakfast with several members of the APPG on San Marino, members of the House of Lords, House of Common, Knights of the Order of St Agatha and business representatives, was an excellent opportunity to discuss the way forward to ratify the agreement on double taxation in the Parliaments of both countries and opportunities to boost economic and cultural exchanges between the UK and San Marino.
A special ceremony was organised by the Consulate in the Chamberlain’s Court Room, in the Guildhall, where the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, HE Dr Luca Beccari, received the Freedom of the Company of Communicators award. By becoming a Freeman, Dr Beccari will be following in the footsteps of all City Livery members as well as honorary freemen such as Winston Churchill, Rudyard Kipling, Margaret Thatcher and Nelson Mandela, as well as freemen by special nomination.
The working visit of the Secretary of State, HE Dr Luca Beccari, was a very productive one and served to consolidate and strengthen further the friendly relations between the two countries. It testified about the excellent work of the Consulate and paved the way for future cooperation.
