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Senate Suspends Spain‑France Friendship Treaty by Referring It to Constitutional Court

The move pauses the treaty’s entry into force pending a Constitutional Court review of whether a clause allowing periodic minister exchanges breaches Spain’s Constitution.

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La portavoz del PP en el Senado, Alicia García.
El PP bloquea el Tratado de Amistad con Francia al impugnarlo ante el Tribunal Constitucional

Overview

  • The Senate, with votes from the PP and Vox, approved a requerimiento that suspends ratification and sends the treaty to the Constitutional Court in a 146–112–2 vote on Thursday.
  • The legal dispute centers on article 2.4, which says a minister from each country would be invited to the other’s Council of Ministers at least once every three months by rotation.
  • Madrid and Paris exchanged interpretative letters in April saying any participation would take place “en los márgenes” in a separate ad hoc meeting rather than in the main cabinet deliberation, but the PP argues those letters cannot change the treaty text.
  • If the Constitutional Court admits the requerimiento it will open a one‑month period for interested parties to file opinions followed by up to a 30‑day term for the Court’s report, though admission and final timing remain uncertain.
  • The row risks diplomatic and economic friction with France because the treaty, signed in January 2023 and already approved by the French Assembly and the Spanish Congress in June, frames broad cooperation that touches trade, tourism and cross‑border communities.