Macron and Sánchez will sign a binationality agreement at the Franco-Spanish summit

The head of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez and French President Emmanuel Macron will sign a binational agreement on Monday and address the issue of the vaccination passport at a bilateral summit in the French town of Montauban.

This city, located in the southwest of France, was chosen to host the 26th Franco-Spanish summit – the previous one was held in Malaga in 2017 -, because of its symbolism in the common history of these countries. neighbors.

This is where hundreds of Spanish exiles moved during the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s dictatorship and in its cemetery are the remains of the last President of the Second Spanish Republic (1936-1939), Manuel Azaña.

The two leaders will conclude their meeting with a visit to the cemetery to pay tribute to this Republican figure, who died in exile in 1940, persecuted by the Francoist police and the Gestapo, an unprecedented event for a French head of state.

One of the most important points of the meeting will be the signing of a dual nationality agreement, something “exceptional” according to Madrid, since, in Europe, Spain has this agreement only with Portugal. , although it has it with the countries of Latin America.

This pact will allow some 190,000 Spaniards residing in France and 150,000 French people residing in Spain to be able to choose to have both nationalities without renouncing their origin.

It is at the same time “a very concrete step forward”, “a strong symbol” and “a mark of confidence since Spain only allows dual nationality with a limited number of partners”, declared the French minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, when the summit was announced in July. 2020.

– Vaccination passport –

Also on the summit’s menu, the Covid-19 crisis, the economic recovery and the question of the creation of a health passport at European level, a question still under discussion.

Madrid is less reluctant than Paris to this idea which is gaining ground in the world with the aim of being able to reactivate international flights and tourism, but which continues to have detractors.

The leaders will also address the fight against illegal immigration and terrorism, in particular with the reform of the Schengen area, which the two capitals support.

They will also deal with the closure of border posts in the Pyrenees, decided by France in recent weeks, which has sparked controversy.

It is precisely at the border with Spain that Macron pleaded on November 5 to overhaul “in depth” this common area of ​​free movement of people, which covers a large part of the European continent, so that – he says – ” better protect our common borders “.

Macron and Sánchez, who occupy narrow positions in European politics, will also prepare for the European Union summit on March 25 and 26.

During the summit, several bilateral agreements will also be signed, in particular to promote academic exchanges between the two countries, and the progress of electricity and rail interconnections will be discussed.

Due to the pandemic, they will only be present at Montauban Sánchez and Macron, while the rest of the two delegations will participate by video conference.

(With information from AFP)

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