Barack Obama met with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Spain on Sunday, the last big EU state that the US president had yet to visit.
ADVERTISEMENTBarack Obama met with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Spain on Sunday, the last big EU state that the US president had yet to visit.
Rajoy is still struggling to form a cabinet after an election on June 26. Spain still remains split between four political forces and unable to form a government after 200 days.
Obama still found words of encouragement however. “I want to congratulate the Prime Minister and the Spanish people, for the economic progress that’s been made over the last several years. It’s been a difficult journey, but many of the changes that have been made are starting to bear fruits,” he told reporters.
Earlier in the day Obama was hosted by Spain’s King Felipe in his palace in Madrid.
Now that Britain has voted to leave the EU the United States is likely to pay closer attention to its relationships with large EU states such as Spain.
One thorny US European issue is the controversial “Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership”: which a large Greenpeace banner denounced on Obama’s motorcade route through the city.
Critics fear it gives companies the right to sue European governments if their policies causes a loss of profits.