What is the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation?
A treaty of friendship is an agreement that formalizes and strengthens close existing relations between two countries. Spain already has such treaties with Portugal and Morocco, among other countries. The aim of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Spain and France is to formalize an already close relationship between the two nations and peoples.
At the Spain-France Summit held on 19 January 2023 in Barcelona, the two governments signed the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation as a framework for increased cohesion and continuity in relations that are already very close in the political, economic, sociocultural, security and defence spheres. The text of the Treaty provides for:
- Monitoring bodies to supervise implementation of commitments. These include an annual bilateral summit to be chaired by the President of the Government of Spain and the President of the French Republic.
- A multi-year road map, which will be reviewed periodically, setting out projects and priority areas, such as strengthening European security, social rights, protection of the environment and of biodiversity, bilateral trade and the internal market, education and scientific research.
- An operational framework for coordinating policies in strategic areas.
What are the characteristics of relations between Spain and France?
Spain and France are neighbours and natural partners, united by geography and by their membership of organizations such as the European Union, NATO, OSCE and the Council of Europe. In recent years, the two countries have significantly strengthened their bilateral cooperation. One key milestone was the ratification in 2021 of the Convention on Nationality, which permits dual citizenship of France and Spain for the citizens of the two States.
Political relations are fluid, with frequent contact, and visits at the highest level.
On the economic front, France is Spain’s main trade partner. More specifically, France is the top destination for Spanish exports and third in term of imports into Spain, behind Germany and China. The volume of trade with France surpasses Spain’s total trade with the entire Americas.
Relations are also close in the social dimension, as 330,000 Spanish citizens live in France, over a million live in cross-border towns and areas, and around half a million work for French companies in Spain. Every year, more than three million French pupils choose Spanish as their second foreign language after English.
These ties are further strengthened by tourism. In 2025, 12.8 million French tourists visited Spain, accounting for 13.2% of all visitors, cementing France’s position as Spain’s second largest inbound market.
What does the treaty cover and what opportunities does it create?
The Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation covers a broad range of different strategic areas. Key opportunities it creates for citizens and businesses of Spain and France include:
- Increased political coordination on European affairs, security, defence and the energy transition.
- An economic boost through joint projects in the areas of innovation, infrastructure and mobility.
- Cultural and educational cooperation to facilitate exchanges, academic programmes and language learning.
- Stronger cross-border collaboration in areas where the daily lives of thousands of citizens depend on shared services.
One of the mechanisms for cooperation provided for in the Treaty is a periodic invitation to a minister of the other country to meetings of the Executive, a format that France already applies in the cases of Germany and Italy. In the case of Spain, the invitation would be outside the context of the Council of Ministers. This was agreed in an exchange of letters between the ministers of foreign affairs of the two countries.
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish Congress gave its approval on 10 June and it must now receive the approval of the Spanish Congress itself. France ratified the Treaty in March 2025.
Once the process has been completed, the governments and parliaments of the two countries will be able to activate the stipulated mechanisms and reap the benefits that this cooperation framework can offer for the peoples of France and Spain.