Spain – Meeting between Franck Riester and the Secretary of State for Trade (video conference, 12 February 2021)

Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, spoke with his Spanish counterpart, Xiana Méndez, today.

The Minister Delegate reiterated his determination to swiftly deescalate transatlantic tariffs, especially in the Airbus-Boeing dispute, while continuing to mobilize the EU’s trade policy instruments to defend European interests. He also expressed support for current initiatives to strengthen the European response to coercive economic measures with extraterritorial impact that particularly affect France and Spain. Mr. Riester also expressed support for the necessary alignment of EU trade policy, and notably its trade and investment agreements, with the environmental goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Mr. Riester and Ms. Méndez discussed the progress of various investment projects and bilateral partnerships, especially in the area of transportation, as well as the prospects for cooperation between Business France and the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (ICEX) on international volunteer programs.

France and Spain are key economic partners. France is the second largest supplier and fourth largest foreign investor in Spain (with almost €50 billion in FDI) and has almost 2,000 companies in the country, employing 350,000 people. France is the largest export market for Spanish companies and is home to more than 900 subsidiaries of Spanish firms, which employ almost 62,000 people.