Sánchez asks for forgiveness from Macron for the PP's veto of the Friendship Treaty with France

MadridAt another time, without a sit-in at the Puerta del Sol in Madrid, the visit by Emmanuel Macron this Tuesday and Wednesday would have taken all the spotlight in the capital of the State. However, the frantic domestic agenda has meant that the big headlines of the last two days have been the housing decree-laws that are to be voted on this Friday in Congress. In fact, in the joint press conference held by the French president and the Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez, after meeting at the Moncloa, Spanish politics grabbed some of the questions. The head of the executive, after showing "optimism" about the possibility of rebuilding the plurinational majority on Friday with the housing law, even allowed himself to point at the PP: he apologized directly to Macron for the veto that the conservatives have orchestrated from the Senate on the Treaty of Friendship between France and Spain. One of Sánchez's main goals for this legislature because it equates the relationship with the French with the one they have with Germany or Italy.

The initial idea was that this visit, which is a State visit and had not occurred in a similar way since 2009, was that Macron could visit Spain with this treaty already ratified—it was signed in 2023 in Barcelona. However, it was not possible because the PP, through the upper house, challenged it in the Constitutional Court. "The Cortes will approve the treaty before the end of the legislature, which undoubtedly reflects the Spaniards' sentiment of friendship and brotherhood with France," said the Spanish president. Thus, he has committed to accelerating the final vote in Congress that remains for it to come into force, despite the fact that this week the Senate has opposed it again. He did so even though the Constitutional Court has replied to the upper house that the agreement with France is completely constitutional. "Even the magistrates of the TC, with a more conservative vision, have endorsed the treaty unanimously," summarized Sánchez, accusing Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party of "polarizing." "It is more of a setback than a drama," commented Macron, although he admitted that he regrets the PP's position.

Furthermore, the French president also wanted to express "solidarity" with the Spanish government after the massive entry of migrants last July 30th and considered that it was a "victim of an attack". In other words, quite a helping hand for Sánchez now that his management is being investigated by the National Court and is politically questioned by the opposition. "It was not Spain that organized the border crossing," he said. An attitude quite different from that of the 22 European countries led by Italy and Denmark, which after the crisis pointed to Sánchez as the culprit for his migration policy of regularization. In fact, Macron's statement also comes after King Felipe VI, during the dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid this Tuesday, asked the European Union to take responsibility for the border with Ceuta.

This Wednesday, the monarch wanted to highlight, at the inauguration of the Spain-France Trade and Investment Forum –a high-level business meeting in Madrid–, the relevance of industrial agreements with the French country, and that it has reinforced the strategic autonomy of the EU, for example in the field of defense. "It is advisable to continue exploring industrial agreements," he said. Furthermore, he also asked France to accelerate electrical and railway interconnections, as well as hydrogen projects, with which they have not always hadthe same objectives.

Common agenda

Although the friendship treaty is not yet ratified, both presidents have showcased the philosophy of the agreement, which consists of maximizing "cooperation" between Spain and France to gain weight in major European decisions. That is to say, for the Paris-Madrid axis to act as a counterweight to other alliances between northern and eastern countries. This Wednesday it already became evident: both Sánchez and Macron formed a united front against the frugal countries of the EU –Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, and Sweden– to provide the EU with more budget. Also to welcome the possibility of the United Kingdom returning to the European club, after the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, proposed a new relationship with the Union this Wednesday without ruling out rejoining the bloc. "Brexit was a huge loss, both for the EU and for the British population," said Sánchez. "They would be very welcome," added Macron.

The harmony, therefore, between the two leaders was absolute, as they also proposed the same priorities when it comes to setting limits on artificial intelligence, protecting minors on social media, or, ultimately, further strengthening European sovereignty. The only problem for them is that both are at the end of their terms. Macron will not run again and faces polls with Marine Le Pen's far-right soaring. Sánchez, for his part, will run again, but the polls are not favorable to him either with the possible victory of the PP and Vox. If there are changes of government, will this "more Europe" agenda be maintained?