French President Emmanuel Macron meets with Spanish head of government Pedro Sanchez on Monday for his first bilateral summit, devoted to signing an agreement on the recognition of dual nationality, but also to discussions on the Covid crisis and the vaccine passport European.
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This 26th summit between the two Pyrenean neighbors will be the first since February 2017 and during the five-year term of Emmanuel Macron, who however meets very regularly with the head of the Spanish government, who came to power in June 2018. The French president, centrist, s 'will discuss with Socialist Pedro Sanchez major bilateral and topical issues ahead of the European summit on March 25 and 26.
These exchanges promise to be cordial because Madrid and Paris “
share a lot of points of convergence on European and global issues.
», Underlines the Élysée.
If Macron and Sanchez will see each other face to face in Montauban (southwest), this will not be the case for the 26 ministers who will participate in the summit remotely and will therefore discuss with their counterparts by videoconference from Paris and Madrid.
On the menu of discussions, appear the Covid-19 crisis and in particular the establishment of a vaccine passport at European level, still in the draft stage.
Madrid, which is counting on it to revive tourism as soon as possible, wants France to be less reluctant, the Spanish government said ahead of the summit.
Discussions will also focus on the fight against illegal immigration and terrorism, in particular through the reform of the Schengen area, supported by both Madrid and Paris.
It is also at the Spanish border, at the Perthus pass, that Emmanuel Macron called on November 5, 2020 for an “
in-depth
”
overhaul
of the rules governing the Schengen area and “
greater control
” of the borders. .
Madrid also wants to address the problem of the many secondary roads between the two countries closed by the French authorities in the Pyrenees.
The "
major initiative
" of the summit will be the signing of an agreement on the recognition of dual nationality, likely to affect tens of thousands of people in view of the close historical ties between the two countries.
150,000 French people live in Spain and 190,000 Spaniards in France.
Subject to criteria, obtaining binational status has several advantages: simplified administrative procedures, possession of two passports, opening to public service entrance exams, or even the possibility of voting in national elections.
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The summit will be an opportunity to sign several bilateral agreements, in particular on secondary education, and to discuss the interconnection of electricity and rail networks.
But also international issues, such as Spain's commitment alongside France in the fight against jihadist groups in the Sahel.
Despite the Covid-19 crisis, which severely limits travel abroad, Emmanuel Macron intends to remain very active on the European scene until the end of the five-year term, in particular by taking advantage of the French presidency of the European Union from January 1, 2022, according to the Élysée.
The two leaders will end their meeting by meditating on the tomb of the last President of the Spanish Republic Manuel Azana, buried in Montauban.
A first for a French head of state, "
a strong gesture
", according to Madrid.
A great figure of republicanism in Spain, he lived there in exile after having presided over the Second Republic from 1936 to 1939 in the midst of the civil war.