---
title: "Macron Opens France’s First State Visit to Spain in Nearly a Decade"
description: "A poll released Tuesday found only 18% of French respondents consider Macron a good president as he nears the end of his final term"
author: "rews desk"
published: 2026-09-30T08:35:35Z
modified: 2026-10-01T02:53:42Z
url: https://rews.cc/a/macron-opens-france-s-first-state-visit-to-spain-in-nearly-a-722d7f
language: en
tags: ["politics", "macron", "spain", "elections", "far-right", "europe", "world"]
publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)"
---

# Macron Opens France’s First State Visit to Spain in Nearly a Decade

*A poll released Tuesday found only 18% of French respondents consider Macron a good president as he nears the end of his final term*

By rews desk · September 30, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/macron-opens-france-s-first-state-visit-to-spain-in-nearly-a-722d7f

## In brief

- Macron began France’s first state visit to Spain in nearly a decade with a gala dinner hosted by King Felipe VI
- A poll released Tuesday found only 18% of French respondents consider Macron a good president
- Both Macron and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez face elections next year amid the rise of the far right in Europe
- France is Spain’s largest trading partner, but the countries disagree over expanding cross-border energy links
- Macron meets Sánchez on Wednesday and will visit the European satellite center at the Torrejón base

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain welcomed President Emmanuel Macron of France and his wife, Brigitte, at a gala dinner at the Royal Palace in Madrid on Tuesday, opening France’s first state visit to Spain in nearly a decade.

The visit is among the last of Mr. Macron’s presidency. His second term ends in the spring, the constitution bars a third consecutive run and France holds general elections in April. A poll released in France on Tuesday found that only 18 percent of respondents consider him a good president, while Rassemblement National, the party of the far-right leader Marine Le Pen, keeps gaining ground in its bid for the presidency.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of Spain also faces a general election next year, and both countries head into their campaigns against a backdrop of deepening social polarization and the rise of the far right across Europe.

The Macrons were received with military honors, a parade in Madrid and a meal at La Zarzuela Palace, followed by a bilateral meeting between the two heads of state. The French president also joined a talk with the Spanish writer Javier Cercas, where he defended his idea of a united Europe. “We are this old continent that underestimates itself. But we’re not doing that badly,” he said.

Relations between the two countries are in a good moment, and France is Spain’s largest trading partner. Friction remains over energy: Spain has pressed France for stronger electricity links to secure its power supply and avoid a repeat of the major blackout that hit the Iberian Peninsula in 2025, a demand France has rejected.

On Wednesday, Mr. Macron is scheduled to meet Mr. Sánchez and to visit SatCen, the European satellite center at the Torrejón military base. The center provides satellite surveillance of North Africa and the Sahel, regions that are hubs for migration and the trafficking of people and weapons, and where Russia and China have gained influence as the United States turns its attention toward Asia.