French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signed a “Friendship and Cooperation Treaty” in Barcelona with great fanfare. This takes the relationship between the neighboring countries to the next level, at a time when things are not going smoothly between Paris and Berlin, often described as the engine of the European Union.
The treaty provides for increased cooperation in the fields of migration, defence, energy and youth. France had hitherto concluded a similar treaty only with Germany and Italy, and Spain only with Portugal.
Pipeline
The Franco-Spanish treaty comes three months after the resolution of a major disagreement between the two countries. A pipeline project that Paris had opposed has been halted and replaced by a hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseille.
Prime Minister Sánchez has chosen Barcelona as the host city of the summit to underline the importance of this strategic project, but also to show that the situation in Catalonia, which tried to separate from Spain in 2017, has calmed down. In Barcelona, however, thousands of demonstrators stood up to make it clear that the struggle for independence is still alive.
European stimulus
Both countries have also called for a European plan to tackle “unfair economic practices”. The EU and the US are deadlocked over US corporate subsidies.
Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans to create a “more conducive to investment and innovation” climate to compete with the United States. The EU’s green business plan is expected to offer companies an alternative to US President Joe Biden’s “inflation-reducing bill,” which is pumping $340 billion into the US economy.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
