Albares accuses PP of sabotaging Spain-France friendship treaty

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has accused the opposition Popular Party (PP) of attempting to sabotage the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Spain and France, signed in 2023 by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and President Emmanuel Macron. The PP, which holds a majority in the Senate, has triggered a process to seek a constitutional review of a clause allowing a French minister to attend Spanish Cabinet meetings (without voting rights). Albares called the move a "disparate" and warned it would paralyze the treaty's ratification Source: lavanguardia.

The disputed clause

Article 2.4 of the treaty allows reciprocal attendance of ministers in each other's cabinet meetings, but not voting. The PP argues this may violate the Spanish Constitution, despite clarifications that foreign ministers would participate "on the margins" of the meeting. If the Constitutional Court finds incompatibility, the clause would need renegotiation or constitutional reform Source: lavanguardia.

Political reaction

Albares criticized the PP for "sabotaging the interests of Spaniards" and noted that the treaty benefits 300,000 Spaniards living in France and is crucial as France is Spain's top trading partner Source: infobae. He stated that the PP is "absolutely incapacitated to govern" and lacks a sense of state Source: infobae.