150 Years of the New Reform of 1866

The main chamber of the Casa de la Vall (seat of the Andorran parliament), with the inscription '150 ANYS DE LA NOVA REFORMA DE 1866', the year '2016' and the issuing state 'ANDORRA'. The coin commemorates the 150th anniversary of the New Reform Decree — one of the most significant milestones in the history of the country and the Andorran parliament (Consell General), which heralded profound social and political change in the Principality.

In the 19th century, Andorra was one of the most politically archaic entities in Europe: since the Pareatge of 1278, the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix — later the French crown — had shared co-sovereignty over the small Pyrenean principality. This structure changed little internally for centuries. Only in the mid-19th century did a reform movement emerge from within parts of the Consell de la Terra, pushing for broader popular participation in political decisions. The New Reform Decree of 1866 — the "Nova Reforma" — was the result: for the first time, it established that all heads of household, including new citizens, could take part in the council's votes, fundamentally strengthening the democratic legitimacy of Andorran self-government.

The Casa de la Vall, the historic parliament building in the capital Andorra la Vella, stands as a symbol of this development: in this early-16th-century building, the Consell General — Andorra's parliament — met until 2011, shaping the country's political self-understanding across generations. The 19th-century reforms, above all the 1866 decree, created the institutional foundation on which Andorra could develop into a modern state during the 20th century — with its own constitution since 1993 and around 77,000 inhabitants today. Andorra began issuing euro commemorative coins in 2016 and dedicated this first series to the 150th anniversary of the Nova Reforma, honoring a formative chapter in its own constitutional history.