During a state visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Madrid, the Spanish Senate rejected the ratification of the Franco-Spanish friendship treaty. The vote took place on September 29, with 142 right-wing (Popular Party) and far-right (Vox) senators voting against the treaty, while 106 senators, including members of the Socialist Party (PSOE) led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, supported it. The vote occurred simultaneously with a gala dinner at the royal palace, attended by Macron, King Felipe VI, and Queen Letizia. The treaty was initially signed in Barcelona in January 2023 by Macron and Sánchez, and had already been ratified by the Congress of Deputies in Madrid and the National Assembly and Senate in Paris. However, the Spanish Popular Party (PP), which holds an absolute majority in the Senate, opposed an article requiring a government member from one country to be invited to the Council of Ministers of the other at least once every three months. The Spanish judiciary ruled on September 23 that the treaty was constitutional, noting that the invitation would occur outside the formal Council of Ministers meetings. France has signed similar treaties with Germany, Italy, and Poland, while Spain has only signed such treaties with Portugal and Morocco. Following the rejection, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered "apologies" to Macron, calling the right-wing opposition's position "deplorable." Macron described the rejection as "more of a setback than a disaster" and stated that he respected the vote while considering the treaty "good" as it is.