Emmanuel Macron is proposing a strategy that could eventually free up a long-stalled corridor in the Pyrenees, connecting the gas hub in the region with key energy markets. The idea comes as part of a wider push that includes Spain and Germany, with the government still searching for a concrete plan to present at the Brussels talks scheduled for Thursday, where Pedro Sánchez and the Portuguese president António Costa are expected to be present. Macron’s suggestion arrived after conversations at a bilateral level and follows a high‑level EU summit in Prague, where Spain and Germany urged progress on an infrastructure project that would require formal, written authorization and an open negotiation process involving all parties, including the European Commission.
The French president signaled a preference for a Paris‑Madrid dialogue, inviting Sánchez and Costa to a summit in Paris that would also bring together energy ministers. Yet for the Spanish administration there remains significant uncertainty about what was actually discussed. Officials say no concrete offers were sent to Madrid, and there is little clarity about Macron’s intentions ahead of the meeting.
Nonetheless, other government sources stress that Spain has pressed France to provide a response, with Portugal and Germany seen as essential partners in shaping a constructive stance. The aim is to push the talks forward, even in the face of ambiguity, and to persuade France that the proposal matters for Europe and for France alike.
Nothing to help Spain
In public discourse, officials expect the Brussels meeting to accomplish a few straightforward tasks: to clarify lingering questions about how France intends to manage the project, which Paris has repeatedly tied to a broader gas strategy while denying a direct link to Spain. Across administrations in Madrid, both the PSOE and the PP have pressed France to rethink ties that have not progressed for decades. Diplomatic sources indicate that France has often rejected ideas that would facilitate closer cooperation with Spain.
It is true that the European Commission initially approved the MidCat project and later rejected it. However, the shift in energy dynamics caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has altered the calculus. Spain finds itself in a better position to leverage its LNG regasification capacity and storage, while still facing gaps in injecting gas into the wider European grid. Algeria’s potential supply remains a factor in the EU’s energy mix.
The current stance from Madrid and Berlin is that the pipeline could serve two purposes: in the near term, it would move gas; in the medium term, it could transport clean energy, including green hydrogen. From the outset, this dual purpose challenges a common French argument that the project should be aligned with a fossil‑fuel phaseout by 2050. The existing connections near Irún and Larrau, already in operation, highlight that capacity constraints are not unique to this route—France remains a central node in the network.
Layout conflict
Macron’s remarks, as interpreted by a set of officials including Teresa Ribera, the Third Vice President and Minister for Ecological Transition, have drawn scrutiny. Spain reported a robust export balance to France since the war began, while the utilization rate of the existing link has sometimes approached peaks, signaling that the infrastructure could be pressed more intensively. Critics note that the project owes much of its risk to the regional variations it would impose across France, where local resistance is visible in several municipalities. For Madrid, the challenge is more about breaking the political barriers than about technical feasibility. A central question remains: who will finance the upgrade or expansion and who will bear the costs if Europe buys into a wider energy strategy?
As Thursday approaches, Sánchez and Ribera will assess whether Macron has room to present viable alternatives that keep Europe connected to a unified energy network. The discussion will likely focus on whether the path forward hinges on new commitments from Paris, and whether the European framework can deliver a solution that satisfies all stakeholders. The outcome depends on whether the plan can clear the political and logistical hurdles and align with Europe’s broader energy goals.