Madrid – Macron on state visit, France-Spain agreement still awaiting ratification

MADRID, September 29 /ATSH-DPA/ – French President Emmanuel Macron was received in Spain today with military honours by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, at the start of a two-day state visit.

It is the first visit by a French president to Spain since 2009.

Macron arrived in Madrid together with his wife, Brigitte Macron.

After the welcoming ceremony at the Royal Palace in Madrid, the King and Queen hosted a lunch for their guests at the Zarzuela Palace, northwest of the capital.

Macron and King Felipe VI then held talks.

In the evening, the King and Queen will host an official dinner in honour of the French president and his wife.

Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez are expected to hold a meeting tomorrow.

Macron will also take part, together with King Felipe VI, in a Spanish-French forum on trade and investment.

The visit’s agenda also includes a meeting with students on democracy, young people and social media, as well as visits to the European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen) and the French research institute Casa de Velázquez.

Friendship agreement with France remains a contentious issue in Spain

Macron’s visit has been somewhat overshadowed by an agreement on friendship and cooperation between France and Spain, which has not yet entered into force.

The agreement was signed by Macron and Sánchez in January 2023, but has not yet been ratified by Spain, because of opposition objections.

Spain’s conservative People’s Party (PP) voted against the agreement in the lower house of Parliament.

The PP also took the matter to the Constitutional Court, challenging a provision of the agreement that allows French ministers to take part in Spanish government meetings.

Last week, however, the Constitutional Court unanimously ruled that the agreement is compatible with Spain’s Constitution.

The Spanish Senate is currently considering ratification of the agreement.

It is still unclear how the PP will vote in the Senate.