The images from the sunny park of Madrid's Moncloa Palace, where Olaf Scholz and Pedro Sánchez held their press conference on Monday afternoon, should send a message.
The Socialists, the party of the Spanish Prime Minister, celebrated the result of the Bundestag elections and the new government in Berlin as a sign of a social-democratic awakening, as a signal that the political wind was changing in Europe.
Markus Wehner
Political correspondent in Berlin.
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Hans Christian Roessler
Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb based in Madrid.
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It was therefore very important to Sánchez that his "amigo Olaf", as he called him on Monday, came to Madrid as soon as possible - it was the new chancellor's fifth trip abroad. And both politicians assured themselves of how close the two countries are: Spain and Germany are "very close friends," said Scholz, while Sánchez announced a "new stage in our European cooperation": This year, the German-Spanish government consultations are finally to take place again , which were canceled due to the pandemic and the German election year.
Scholz and Sánchez are linked by a long-standing political friendship.
Even when Sánchez was only party chairman but not prime minister, Scholz had received him in Berlin and talked to him for an evening.
Sánchez gave the main speech at a conference of international social democrats in the German election year, doing the chancellor candidate Scholz a favor.
New social democratic strength
Sánchez sees the change of government in Berlin with hope. Because since he took office almost four years ago, he had become lonely. The socialist was the only head of government at the head of one of the four large EU countries. Left-wing governments only exist in neighboring Portugal and in Scandinavia. But with Scholz taking office, you can see the dawn of social democratic times in Madrid – even if that means for Sánchez that he is now passing the baton on to Berlin.
Sánchez had played an important role in the formation of the new EU Commission and in the creation of the Covid recovery fund - Spain, which was hit hard by the pandemic, is proud to have been the first country to approve the fund. In Madrid, however, Scholz's assumption of office is also associated with the expectation that the European Stability Pact could be changed and made more generous - a hope shared in Paris and Rome. But Berlin has so far shown little willingness to satisfy these longings. According to the federal government, no substantial change is planned, and the flexibility of the pact can be used.
The Russian threat scenario towards Ukraine was also the subject of the talks between the two heads of government. The situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border is "very, very serious," said Scholz in Madrid. A Russian attack on Ukraine will have a high price, he has repeatedly assured. At the same time, Berlin supports all dialogue formats in order to prevent an escalation and is taking care of a revival of the Normandy Quartet through diplomatic channels. Last but not least, Scholz wants to prevent Putin from splitting the EU in the confrontation. That should also have come up in the conversation with Sánchez, in whose country Moscow's aggressive behavior triggers fewer emotions than in Germany.
Scholz also spoke to his Spanish colleague about a specific armaments project. Berlin and Paris want to build a new European fighter plane together, Madrid wants to be involved industrially. It is still a matter of controversy what shares and how much Germany and France are giving up to Spain. Apparently there are reservations, especially from Paris.
In Madrid it is hoped that Germany and Spain will join forces even more in the future. “Now Scholz will be the most important point of reference for the European left in Europe. But Sánchez can sharpen his international profile with a good ally in Berlin,” expects Europe expert Ignacio Molina from the Madrid think tank Real Instituto Elcano. Traditionally, the similarities between the two countries have dominated, because there are neither political nor historical legacy issues. For example, Germany was a role model for the Spanish nuclear phase-out – the last Spanish nuclear power plants are to be shut down in 2030. Spain is among the few EU member states opposed to classifying nuclear power (and even natural gas) as “sustainable” in the EU's so-called taxonomy.You really have to deserve the name and be "green", Sánchez demanded on Monday.
Despite all the joy at the Social Democrats at the head of the federal government - the party affiliation of the heads of government was never the focus in relations between the two states.
Sánchez got along well with Scholz's predecessor, Angela Merkel.
They worked closely together on the common migration policy and in dealing with the consequences of the pandemic.
Merkel's reputation in Spain is so great that King Felipe VI.
awarded her the Charles V European Prize at the Yuste Monastery during her farewell visit last October.
The CDU Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who was a friend of the first Socialist Prime Minister Felipe González, was the first German to receive it.