Macron calls for a 'stronger Europe' during state visit to Spain

French President Emmanuel Macron called for a "stronger Europe" on the first day of his state visit to Spain, urging massive investment to bolster the continent's position and arguing that Europe needs to "regain control" of social media platforms and artificial intelligence, which he blamed in part for growing "democratic fatigue."

The visit, intended to showcase closer ties between Paris and Madrid, was overshadowed later in the day when Spain's Senate rejected a Franco-Spanish friendship treaty, complicating the diplomatic optics of Macron's trip even as he pressed his broader message about European unity.

A call to counter rising extremes

Macron framed his appeal for a stronger, more assertive Europe partly as a response to the growing influence of what he described as political extremes across the continent. His remarks linked concerns about disinformation and platform governance to broader anxieties about democratic stability, suggesting that unchecked social media and AI systems are contributing to public disengagement from traditional democratic processes.

The push for greater European autonomy over digital infrastructure and technology policy is a theme Macron has raised repeatedly in recent years, as he has advocated for the European Union to reduce its dependence on non-European technology platforms and strengthen its own industrial and digital capacity.

Treaty setback

The Senate's rejection of the friendship treaty represents a setback for the broader diplomatic goals of the visit, injecting an element of discord into what was intended to be a display of close bilateral cooperation. It remains unclear how the treaty's rejection will affect the remainder of Macron's visit or the broader Franco-Spanish relationship in the near term.