The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, arrived in Madrid on Tuesday, September 29, for an official trip that will last until Wednesday. The French president was received by the kings of the country and thus undertook a series of institutional and economic meetings, during a visit he will highlight the good relations with the Government of Pedro Sánchez. Madrid and Paris share policies such as the defense of European sovereignty and support for Ukraine, in the midst of the rise of the extreme right on the continent.
First modification: 09/28/2026 - 20:05 Last modification: 09/30/2026 - 13:16
Emmanuel Macron began his first state visit to Spain in Madrid at a key moment for bilateral relations. Until now, it was a trip pending for years and comes towards the end of the French leader's mandate.
The French president and his wife, Brigitte Macron, were received on Tuesday, September 29, by King Felipe VI and Letizia at the Royal Palace, at the beginning of a two-day state visit, Macron's first to Spain. The French president was received with all honors, in a ceremony that included the national anthems, a 21-gun salute and the presence of the main Spanish authorities and several French ministers.
These are two important allies within the European Union and NATO. Bilateral exchanges of goods totaled around 90 billion euros in 2025, according to figures cited by the Elysée.
Spain also has nearly 4,000 subsidiaries of French companies, which generate around 450,000 jobs, as well as a network of French high schools and cultural institutions that are among the largest in the world.
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The details of Macron's agenda in Spain
After the ceremony, Felipe VI and Macron went to the Zarzuela Palace to have a private lunch and later hold a bilateral meeting. The day concludes with a state dinner offered by the kings in the Royal Palace, which will be attended by around a hundred guests. The French delegation includes, among others, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Culture, Foreign Trade and Transport, in a visit that focuses on the political, economic and cultural dimension of the relationship between both countries.
The trip also coincides with a relevant moment for institutional cooperation between Madrid and Paris. This Tuesday, the Spanish Senate will vote on the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between both countries, after the Constitutional Court endorsed its content. The agreement contemplates, among other measures, that French ministers can participate in meetings of the Spanish Council of Ministers and vice versa. During Macron's presidency, the Dual Nationality Agreement between Spain and France was also signed in 2021, the first of its kind signed by Spain with a country outside the Ibero-American community.
Macron's agenda will continue this Wednesday, September 30, with a trade and investment forum with businessmen from both countries. France is currently Spain's main trading partner and the third country by investment volume in Spanish territory. The bilateral relationship also has an important human dimension: more than 330,000 Spaniards live in France, some 125,000 French people reside in Spain and the neighboring country is the main Erasmus destination for French students.
On Wednesday, September 30, the leader of the Elysée and King Felipe VI will chair the Spain-France Trade and Investment Forum, which will be attended by companies from both countries and several French ministers.
The meeting between Macron and the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, is scheduled for noon on Wednesday at the Moncloa Palace, where they are expected to discuss issues such as the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, as well as bilateral issues, before offering a joint press conference.
The closing event of the official visit is scheduled at the residence of the French ambassador in Madrid, where the kings of Spain will attend, this time as guests.
Political scientist Fernando Vega Lugo told France 24 that the visit, scheduled in the final stretch of Macron's mandate, is part of a policy implemented in recent years by the French president to cultivate bilateral relations with neighboring countries, especially Italy, Germany and Spain.
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How are relations between France and Spain?
Spain and France maintain a close relationship marked by geographical proximity and deep political and cultural ties, although it is not free from disagreements that have accumulated over the years in areas such as energy and railway connections or border issues. Despite these differences, Raquel García Llorente, an analyst at the Elcano Royal Institute, considers that the current state of bilateral relations is positive.
France, he points out, has played an essential role as a partner of Spain in the European integration process, to the point that rapprochement with the Franco-German axis was for years one of the priorities of Spanish European policy. In fact, the French Presidency declared in a statement at the beginning of September that Emmanuel Macron's visit to Madrid "will demonstrate the depth of the ties that unite the two countries, as well as the breadth of their cooperation."
This bilateral alliance was reflected in the Treaty of Barcelona, signed by both presidents in 2023, which covers issues such as economic development, the reactivation of railways, educational cooperation, infrastructure and innovation.
However, the agreement has not been ratified by the Spanish Legislature due to an article that establishes that a member of the government of each country must be invited to the Council of Ministers of the other at least once every quarter.
The majority held by the opposition Popular Party (PP) in the Senate alleged indications of "unconstitutionality" regarding the fact that a French minister could participate in the Council of Ministers in Madrid.
However, the Spanish Constitutional Court endorsed the friendship treaty this week by certifying that it fully complies with the Magna Carta, which is why Pedro Sánchez's Executive urged the Senate to approve the pact "as a priority" in the plenary session scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, which coincides with Macron's visit.
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The legislative body plans to include the vote on the treaty on this week's agenda, as revealed this Monday by the newspaper 'ABC', based on parliamentary sources cited under anonymity.
"Our wish is that this ratification can come to fruition," the Elysée said last Thursday when announcing Macron's trip, in an informative note that speaks of both nations as "great neighbors, great friends and great allies."
Political analyst Fernando Vega Lugo suggested the possibility that "the fact that Macron has given up speaking before the Spanish Senate on this occasion is due, in some way, to a reproach to this body for not ratifying the treaty."
Vega points out that the entry into force of the pact would "equate" the relationship between Paris and Madrid to the link that the Elysée maintains with countries such as Germany or Italy.
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Wars, European defense and the rise of the extreme right: the issues that mark Macron's visit
Beyond the Treaty of Barcelona, the Governments of Emmanuel Macron and Pedro Sánchez agree on several aspects, despite starting from different ideological shores.
Both leaders have condemned the war in Ukraine, started by the Russian invasion in February 2022, and have advocated support for the defense of kyiv.
This support for Ukraine is framed within a similar discourse in support of European sovereignty, in a context of attacks on multilateralism after the return to the White House of President Donald Trump and in the midst of a series of acts of sabotage on European soil that community leaders attribute to a hybrid war by the Kremlin.
The Elysée highlighted that France and Spain also share positions on issues such as the next budget of the European Union, the common agricultural policy, industrial policy, digital regulation and European sovereignty in the space field.
Additionally, both Sánchez and Macron have been the target of rhetorical attacks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their comments on the war in Gaza and Lebanon.
Although Sánchez's position has constituted a much more direct criticism of Israel's incessant attacks on the Palestinian Territories, such as Gaza and the West Bank, both countries have recognized the Palestinian State under the leadership of the current presidents.
The scenario in which the leaders of the Elysée and La Moncloa will meet again may change radically in the course of a year, since both leaders will face elections in 2027, in a context marked by the rise of the extreme right.
The political situation in both countries introduces, however, some uncertainty about the continuity of this impulse. While Emmanuel Macron faces the final stretch of his mandate, which will end in 2027, Spain is also approaching a new electoral scenario. The question will be to check in a year's time whether the momentum promoted in recent years and reinforced with Macron's visit manages to be maintained despite possible political changes on both sides of the Pyrenees.
Regardless of the electoral calendars, Madrid and Paris must continue working on issues that require short-term decisions. The negotiations on the community budget, the evolution of energy prices, the economic situation, the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East are part of a European agenda that will continue to require coordination.
Although it cannot yet be anticipated how the relationship with future governments will evolve, France would continue to be a particularly relevant partner for Spain due to its status as a neighboring country and its weight within the European Union.
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