Why does the PP block the new friendship treaty with France?

MadridThe battle between PP and PSOE transcends internal affairs and already has consequences in relations with third countries. More than three years after the government of Pedro Sánchez signed a friendship treaty with France, in January 2023 in Barcelona, it has not yet entered into force. One of the reasons for this blockage is the opposing position of the Popular Party, which considers one of the points of the document to be unconstitutional. The PP justifies its opposition because they assure that the Spanish executive has made a "legislative mess". They frame the criticism within their generalized denunciation of Sánchez's methods, whom they accuse of constantly trampling the rule of law, including with this bilateral agreement with France. The Spanish government, on the contrary, attributes to the PP a desire to "sabotage the interests of Spaniards" for partisan interests.

The problematic point for Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party is 2.4 of the treaty, which establishes that a member of the French government will be invited to the Spanish Council of Ministers, or vice versa, on a rotating basis, at least every three months. The PP maintains that this clashes with the Spanish Constitution and that, with the Magna Carta in hand, the only person outside the Spanish government who can attend its meetings is the King of Spain. An argument that the PSOE considers unacceptable: they emphasize that the French government representative would only attend points on the agenda affecting treaty matters and not other issues. "The Spanish government would decide the agenda," emphasize PSOE sources.

Movement in the Senate

Faced with the approval of the document in Congress, almost a month ago, the Popular Party made a move in the Senate, where they have an absolute majority, to block it. They will do so this Thursday in the extraordinary plenary session held by the upper house. The last point is the vote by urgent procedure of the treaty approved in Congress. Even if the Senate rejects it, it would return to the lower house to be definitively approved.

To prevent this, the PP has registered a request for a requirement to the Constitutional Court so that it rules on the fit of this point within the Spanish legal system. The approval of the petition, with the absolute majority of the Popular Party, means the paralysis of the treaty's entry into force while awaiting the TC's decision. Vicente Montávez, PSOE deputy in the Foreign Affairs commission, accuses the PP of "parliamentary obstructionism". It should be noted that the treaty implies - he explains - that France begins to treat Spain as an equal, as it is a "plus" cooperation that the country presided over by Emmanuel Macron only has ratified with Germany and Italy.

For Montávez, the entry into force of the agreement would mean a step forward in the search for a new balance in relations within the European Union. It is the exploration of an alliance different from the traditional Franco-German axis that has dominated the community club since its creation. Furthermore, it has numerous advantages, he assures, for border territories, such as Catalonia, where there is a continuous flow of people and economic traffic towards France. "Would the PP really not sign this pact if they were in government?", the socialist Montávez asks rhetorically, considering that the Popular Party's position has nothing to do with the content of the treaty but with permanently opposing everything Sánchez does.

From the Popular Party ranks in the Senate, on the other hand, they assure that it is a problem with the Spanish president's methods and insist on the "signs of unconstitutionality" of the treaty. They assure that they consulted the legal advisors of the upper house, who corroborated this problem of fit with the Spanish Magna Carta.