On August 23rd 2017, the Minister of Interior of Spain, Mr Juan Ignacio Zoido Àlvarez, and his French counterpart, Mr Gérard Collomb, were welcomed in the Gendarmerie nationale headquarters by General Richard Lizurezy. The Director of the Guardia civil, Mr José Manuel Holgado, was also present.
This official visit started with a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the attacks in Spain of August 17th and 18th.
After visiting operational structures in the headquarters, the two ministers signed the Franco-Spanish Administrative Agreement making official the project of a twinned initial training for French and Spanish gendarmes in the Guardia civil academy of Valdemoro.
From October 2nd 2017 to June 18th 2018, French and Spanish trainers will be in charge of the courses which will focus on four thematic issues:
- fight against terrorism,
- controlling migration flows,
- fight against cross-border organised crime,
- mutual knowledge of the two forces.
The Gendarmerie nationale selected 120 candidates to undergo this specific training. Once completed, they will all be posted in units located close to Spain.