Rajoy and Macron at the press conference./ Photo: Moncloa
The Diplomat. 17/06/2017
Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, met yesterday at the Elysee Palace with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, with whom he analyzed issues such as the fight against terrorism and the impetus of the European project and to whom he transferred an invitation from King Philip VI to officially visit Spain.
During the post-lunch press conference, the head of the Spanish government stated that Spain and France are two “indispensable partners” with “a clear European vocation” and that share the vision of “a moderate and stable Europe”, increasingly integrated and closer to the single market.
“We have agreed on the fundamental aspects”, said Rajoy, who at the meeting transferred to Macron “an invitation from the King to make a state visit that we hope will happen when the agendas of the two allow”.
Rajoy also reported that during the meeting, the first since Macron’s election, both leaders had spoken about the fight against terrorism, a “basic EU priority” that must be addressed through “the cooperation of the intelligence services” , and on the need to advance towards the banking union and even, “not for tomorrow nor the day after tomorrow”, towards fiscal union.
Rajoy transfers to the President of France an invitation from the King to visit Spain
For his part, the French president said that the meeting had also served to address “the future of the European Union and its reform” by “more advanced policies in terms of joint defense, fight against illegal immigration and deepening the banking unit”.
Both leaders also discussed the Mediterranean Corridor and the improvement of the electricity interconnections between the two countries. In this regard, Macron said that many of the bilateral issues, such as energy, will be addressed at the Franco-Spanish summit to be held in France in early 2018.
During the press conference, Macron responded forcefully to a question about the referendum of self-determination announced by the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont: “I will be simple and direct: it is an internal matter of Spain and I have no comment what to do about it. I know a partner and a friend, which is Spain, Spain as a whole. I have an interlocutor and he is here by my side and his name is Mariano Rajoy. The rest does not concern me”.
