Grande-Marlaska and the French Interior Minister confirm in Madrid the 'effectiveness' of their bilateral security cooperation

Meeting between the Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, and his french counterpart, Laurent Nunez, at the Ministry headquarters

The Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has met with his French counterpart, Laurent Nuñez, thanking him for "the close collaboration and level of effectiveness" achieved by the Spanish and French security forces in the areas of security and the fight against terrorism and crime.

The home affairs ministers have pledged to continue making progress along these lines to establish an agreement that will strengthen "the already excellent police cooperation" in joint operations and investigations in the fight against cross-border crime, within the framework of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation signed in 2023.

During the meeting held at the headquarters of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Grande Marlaska highlighted the joint work being carried out in the fight against human trafficking and ensuring security at major events and gatherings. He also recalled the effective collaboration at the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which included the deployment of Spanish officers.

In the area of Civil Protection, the minister thanked France for its support during the forest fires suffered by Spain last summer and praised the coordination between the two countries and the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), which demonstrated, in the minister's words, "the effectiveness of the European Civil Protection Mechanism and the strength of bilateral cooperation".

The two delegations discussed issues of EU interest, such as the implementation of the European Pact on Migration and Asylum, the Schengen Area, and the reform of the regulations of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).

Grande-Marlaska conveyed to his counterpart Spain's "full commitment" to implementing the European pact on the scheduled date of June 2026, and stressed the importance of "maintaining the balance between responsibility and solidarity", as outlined in the initial text. With regard to Frontex, he expressed his support for boosting the agency's action in third countries, "promoting prevention at source and in transit and making existing cooperation instruments more flexible."

The meeting was also attended by, among other authorities, the undersecretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Susana Crisóstomo, and the Director-General of International Relations and Immigration, Elena Garzón, on the Spanish side. The French delegation also included the French Ambassador to Spain, Kareen Rispal, the Director of International Security Cooperation, Georges Salinas, and the Director of European and International Affairs, Mathieu Lefebvre.

Non official translation