The Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the two countries entered into force this Sunday, a partnership 'at the service of the French and the Portuguese, and of a Europe that decides for itself'.
While Paris sometimes encounters points of friction with certain European partners, this time French diplomacy is categorical: the bilateral relationship with Portugal is "excellent".
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This Sunday 12 April marks the entry into force of the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation (source in French) between the two countries. Signed in Porto in February 2025 by Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, this symbolic text aims to strengthen ties between the two countries in all areas.
In congratulating his counterpart António José Seguro on his election as President of Portugal last February, the French President promised to "bring the Treaty to life" and to work with Lisbon"in the service of the French and the Portuguese, and of a Europe that decides for itself, more competitive, more sovereign, stronger!"
In concrete terms, the treaty emphasises cooperation between the respective armed forces and defence industries, "paying particular attention to the protection of critical infrastructures and the fight against hybrid threats", especially in cyberspace.
France and Portugal are also committed to continuing to develop interconnections with the Iberian Peninsula, with the stated aim of "benefiting from European funding on the best possible terms". Following a major blackout in Spain and Portugal in April 2025, the debate on the isolation of these two countries from the European electricity networks was revived.
On the economic front, the document provides for greater support for small and medium-sized enterprises and encourages the transition to a "sustainable blue economy" in the Atlantic Ocean.
The implementation of these policies will be facilitated by the bilateral High Level Meeting (HLM), convened regularly for all exchanges between the two governments.
In 2025, France was Portugal's third largest trading partner.
Carlos Pereira, who has lived in France for over 40 years and runs Lusojornal, the leading online media outlet for Portuguese in France, believes that the economy is the most important aspect of the treaty.
"Economic relations are already strong: many French companies invest in Portugal, and there is also Portuguese investment in France," he tells Euronews.
"It's a spectacular development: some Portuguese towns are seeing French investment coming in, and, what's new, Portuguese companies are setting up in France," he adds.
The Portuguese, the third largest foreign community in France
According to figures from the Quai d'Orsay, there are 1.7 million Portuguese nationals living in France, making them the third largest foreign community after Algerians and Moroccans.
Between 30,000 and 50,000 French nationals live in Portugal, a quarter of them dual nationals, not including the large flow of tourists.
Lisbon and Paris say they want to concentrate on recruiting and training French and Portuguese teachers, while encouraging student mobility.
Carlos Pereira, who has been working for years to promote the Portuguese language in France, remains sceptical about the real impact of the treaty in this area, pointing to the shortage of teachers.
Under an agreement dating back to 1973, Portugal funds and sends teachers - currently around a hundred - to teach Portuguese, mainly at primary school level. Responsibility for this teaching falls to France from the collège level upwards.
"France considers that if Portugal does not develop this teaching at primary school level, there is no point in France taking responsibility for it afterwards", he stresses.
Bilateral agreements in Europe: what has been achieved?
Since coming to power in 2017, Emmanuel Macron has set himself the goal of"deepening" bilateral relations with Paris' main partners in the European Union.
To this end, several major documents have been signed and ratified: the Treaty of Aachen with Germany, the Treaty of Quirinale with Italy and the Treaty of Nancy with Poland. There is one exception, however: the Barcelona Treaty, signed with Pedro Sánchez on 19 January 2023 and ratified by France a few months later, has still not received the go-ahead from the Spanish parliament.
The blockage is due in particular to what distinguishes the Barcelona Treaty from the other bilateral agreements negotiated by Paris: the cross-participation of ministers in the Council of Ministers of the partner country, a provision rejected by the Spanish opposition.