Emmanuel Macron on state visit to Spain to strengthen European convergence

Emmanuel Macron arrived this Tuesday in Madrid for a two-day state visit to Spain aimed in particular at highlighting major “convergences” between the two countries in European matters. The French president and his wife Brigitte Macron, arriving an hour late in a Rolls-Royce, were escorted by the royal guard on horseback in full regalia in the immense paved courtyard of the royal palace.

They were welcomed there at the very beginning of the afternoon by King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, to the sound of military fanfare and cannon fire, also in the presence of Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Emmanuel Macron will then discuss in the afternoon with students at Complutense University about the protection of “our democracies and our youth in the age of social networks,” the presidency explained to journalists.

This theme is one of the last battles of the head of state, who hopes, before leaving power in May, to ban social networks for those under 15, despite legal obstacles, an objective shared by the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, for those under 16. This otherwise very formal day will end with a gala dinner at the royal palace.