{"id":37999,"date":"2026-10-01T04:53:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T01:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=37999"},"modified":"2026-10-01T04:53:51","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T01:53:51","slug":"spain-and-france-welcome-possible-uk-return-to-eu-urge-stronger-trade-defences-against-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/spain-and-france-welcome-possible-uk-return-to-eu-urge-stronger-trade-defences-against-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Spain and France welcome possible UK return to EU, urge stronger trade defences against China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>5 minute read<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that they would welcome the possibility of Britain rejoining the European Union and called for greater European unity in responding to Chinese competition on September 30, 2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The comments came during Macron\u2019s two-day state visit to Spain, where the two leaders also discussed EU budget negotiations, Chinese investment, migration, European security and cooperation between France and Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macron described British Prime Minister Andy Burnham\u2019s decision to consider different options for Britain\u2019s future relationship with the EU, including possible membership, as \u201cexcellent news\u201d and \u201ca good decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">S\u00e1nchez said Spain would welcome Britain back if it chose to seek EU membership. \u201cIf we were to seek to rejoin, then of course Spain would applaud it and open its arms again to a brotherly people,\u201d S\u00e1nchez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><strong>Macron Welcomes the Debate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Burnham said Britain should consider a range of options for its future relationship with the EU, including the possibility of eventually rejoining the bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macron said Britain had been a demanding but useful partner while it was an EU member and welcomed Burnham\u2019s willingness to reconsider the relationship. \u201cAndy Burnham is right to have this boldness,\u201d Macron said.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">\u00a1Gracias, Espa\u00f1a, por recibirnos con tanta cercan\u00eda, reflejo de la relaci\u00f3n que une a nuestros pa\u00edses! Tienen en Francia, con nosotros, amigos seguros, y por mucho tiempo. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Ggf3rhfdjN\">pic.twitter.com\/Ggf3rhfdjN<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/EmmanuelMacron\/status\/2105375981242601840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 30, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>The French president also said Britain could not seek only selected benefits from closer European integration while remaining outside the obligations that come with membership. \u201cYou cannot choose between the freedoms of the union and decide to take what suits us and not the rest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussion comes a decade after Britain voted to leave the EU and six years after it formally left the bloc. Burnham has not announced a decision to seek immediate EU membership. His government is expected to examine different forms of cooperation with the bloc before a planned UK-EU summit in November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><strong>France and Spain Seek Stronger Trade Defenses<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macron and S\u00e1nchez also called for a stronger European response to competition from China, particularly in strategic industries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two leaders stressed the importance of ensuring that Chinese investment in Europe provides appropriate commitments on technology transfer, especially in sectors such as automobiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spain has actively sought Chinese investment in its automotive industry. Still, the policy has raised concerns among some stakeholders about safeguards and the impact of Chinese investment on European industrial capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macron said European countries needed to act together to protect industries facing what he described as unfair competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn both sides of the Pyrenees we have actors who need to be protected when they suffer unfair competition&#8230;if we are not united as Europeans, we have no possibility of success,\u201d Macron said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The discussion reflects a wider EU debate over how to maintain economic relations with China while protecting European companies and strategic industries.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Spain-leaders-meeting.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Spain-leaders-meeting.jpg?resize=1016%2C678&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"French President Emmanuel Macron with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez\" class=\"wp-image-38002\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Spain-leaders-meeting.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Spain-leaders-meeting.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Spain-leaders-meeting.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Spain-leaders-meeting.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Spain-leaders-meeting.jpg?resize=589%2C392&amp;ssl=1 589w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Spain-leaders-meeting.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>French President Emmanuel Macron with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez at the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, on September 30, 2026. (Image Credit: X\/EmmanuelMacron)<\/sup><\/em><br><br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Budget Talks Put Pressure on EU Members<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">S\u00e1nchez and Macron also called for greater flexibility in negotiations over the EU\u2019s next budget, with talks expected to intensify in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">S\u00e1nchez appealed to Brussels for \u201ca little more empathy\u201d toward governments dealing with economic and social pressures at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">France and Spain are among the countries concerned about proposals to reduce EU spending. Major net contributors, including Germany and the Netherlands, have pushed for tighter control over the bloc\u2019s finances, while other governments have warned that significant cuts could reduce funding for agriculture and regional programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Agricultural support is particularly important for France and Spain, where farming remains a major economic and political issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The negotiations will have to balance demands for spending on agriculture and regional development with newer priorities including defense, industrial policy, infrastructure and economic competitiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><strong>Migration and European Security<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Migration was another major issue during Macron\u2019s visit, following recent tensions surrounding Spain\u2019s North African enclave of Ceuta. Macron expressed solidarity with Spain and said European migration policy should combine stronger border protection with responsibility toward migrants and respect for EU law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe balance between solidarity and responsibility is very important,\u201d he said, calling for stronger measures to protect Europe\u2019s external borders.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Migrants-crossing-back-from-Spain.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Migrants-crossing-back-from-Spain.jpg?resize=1016%2C678&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Migrants gather after crossing back from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, to the Moroccan side of the border\" class=\"wp-image-37009\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Migrants-crossing-back-from-Spain.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Migrants-crossing-back-from-Spain.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Migrants-crossing-back-from-Spain.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Migrants-crossing-back-from-Spain.jpg?resize=589%2C392&amp;ssl=1 589w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Migrants-crossing-back-from-Spain.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>Migrants gather after crossing back from the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, to the Moroccan side of the border in Fnideq, Morocco, on July 31, 2026. Picture taken with a phone. (Image Credit: Reuters\/Stringer)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">S\u00e1nchez also highlighted French support for Spain during recent migration pressures and emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The two leaders also discussed European security and international affairs, with S\u00e1nchez calling for stronger cooperation between European governments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He defended multilateralism and a rules-based international system, saying European cooperation was necessary to improve security. \u201cA world without rules is a more insecure world for our citizens,\u201d S\u00e1nchez said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><strong>Friendship Treaty Creates Political Tension<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macron\u2019s visit also took place after Spain\u2019s Senate rejected a friendship and cooperation treaty with France on Tuesday. The treaty, signed by S\u00e1nchez and Macron in Barcelona in 2023, had already been approved by Spain\u2019s lower house and ratified by France. The Senate rejected it by 142 votes to 106, with one abstention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One disputed provision concerns an arrangement allowing ministers from one country to participate in certain government meetings of the other. Spain\u2019s Constitutional Court ruled unanimously on September 23 that the treaty was compatible with the Spanish Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">S\u00e1nchez apologized to Macron for the Senate vote and said Spain would seek to approve an agreement of this type before the end of the current parliamentary term. Despite the setback, both governments said they remained committed to close cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macron and S\u00e1nchez presented stronger European coordination as necessary for addressing these issues, while also emphasizing the importance of bilateral cooperation between France and Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Spain-President-Sanchez.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1016\" height=\"635\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Spain-President-Sanchez.jpg?resize=1016%2C635&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez\" class=\"wp-image-29873\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Spain-President-Sanchez.jpg?resize=1024%2C640&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Spain-President-Sanchez.jpg?resize=300%2C188&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Spain-President-Sanchez.jpg?resize=768%2C480&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Spain-President-Sanchez.jpg?w=1200&amp;ssl=1 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1016px) 100vw, 1016px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em><sup>Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez speaks at a press conference at the Spanish Embassy in Beijing, China, on April 11, 2025. (Image Credit: Reuters\/Tingshu Wang)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>French President Emmanuel Macron and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that they would welcome the possibility of Britain rejoining the European Union and called for greater European unity in responding to Chinese competition on September 30, 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38007,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[62,1],"tags":[211,45,24,357,64,254,241,71,98,235,296,61,365],"class_list":["post-37999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-news","tag-britain","tag-china","tag-eu","tag-europe","tag-france","tag-immigration","tag-migrants","tag-politics","tag-spain","tag-technology","tag-trade","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7jJWb-9ST","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/France-Macron-Spain-Pedro-meeting.jpg?fit=690%2C370&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37999"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37999\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38013,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37999\/revisions\/38013"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}