FRANCE-Leaders Meet As Macron Seeks PM Sanchez's Support In US IRA Spat

French President Emmanuel Macron is seen as attempting to enlist Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez in his phalanx of EU member states looking to respond aggressively to the US' Inflation Reduction Act, which Macron has called "super aggressive" towards EU firms. Speaking to CNBC earlier this week, Sanchez did not sound as forthright as Macron w/regards the IRA, stating the EU had “some homework to do” with regards to its own green tech subsidies that would “send a message to industry worldwide that Europe – and of course, Spain – is a good place [to invest].”

• The two leaders are meeting in Barcelona, where they have signed a 'Friendship and Cooperation treaty', intended to boost links on migration, energy, defence and youth issues.
• The effort to improve Spanish-French ties comes as continued signs of strain show in the all-important EU relationship between France and Germany. With the MidCat natural gas pipeline - intended to run from Catalonia to southern France before connecting to the broader European gas network - having been shelved in favour of the planned H2Med (or BarMar) hydrogen pipeline between Barcelona and Marseilles, ensuring strong links between Paris and Madrid could prove important for the EU's long-term energy outlook.