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Chancellor Olaf Scholz (front) and Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in Madrid
Photo:
Manu Fernández / AP
No, things couldn't be more harmonious between Olaf Scholz and Pedro Sánchez, between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Kingdom of Spain, whether in political, economic, pandemic or even cultural terms, because: Spain is the guest country of the Frankfurt Book Fair!
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pointed this out with even more anticipation when he appeared together with the German Chancellor in the garden of his seat of government than he did for the German-Spanish intergovernmental consultations, which are soon to be revived.
Olaf Scholz traveled to Madrid for a lightning visit, his fourth inaugural visit after taking office, the first to a colleague from the Social Democratic party family, and not only for that reason the most pleasant one.
Scholz and the Spaniard know each other from the days when the German only ruled Hamburg.
Much later, the two agreed on the EU's Corona reconstruction fund, and even later Sánchez supported the SPD chancellor candidate in the election campaign with a large congress of European social democrats in Berlin.
The support provided during the election campaign was perhaps not entirely unselfish, because for many social-democratic (co-)governed southern countries of the European Union, Scholz now also embodies the hope for further joint financial packages, or even a fundamental relaxation of the European stability and growth regime.
Scholz formulates carefully
Scholz and Sánchez were asked several times this afternoon about the future of the European Stability Pact, but they dodged an answer.
Sánchez prefers to draw a wide arc from the many things he learned from Scholz to the topic of respect, which European social democracy - inspired by Scholz - now wants to represent together in Europe.
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Olaf Scholz
Photo: OSCAR DEL POZO / AFP
When asked whether a new German-Spanish axis for more joint borrowing in Europe is emerging, Sánchez only emphasizes the important "leadership role" that Scholz had already played with the Corona aid fund.
Scholz himself knows the desires of the southern party friends.
Probably for this reason, and with consideration for the liberal finance minister in Berlin, he formulates his answer particularly carefully: yes, we have to solve the economic problems in Europe together, and the European reconstruction program "holds us together".
But the majority of these jointly mobilized funds will only be distributed in the next few years anyway.
Scholz' subtext: So why talk about the next joint debt project now?
In fact, Spain is the first EU country that has already launched a program for EU subsidies at national level.
In addition, Scholz refrains from even cautious hints of more fiscal policy openness.
The EU of the future must be strong, sovereign, strategically autonomous, technologically advanced and climate-friendly, he says.
Oh yes, and of course – respectfully.
First the USA, then Russia
The issue of strategic autonomy is likely to have played a role in the heads of government's second major block of issues: Russia's saber-rattling on the Ukrainian border.
Here, Scholz left the bigger picture to his Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock that day: Baerbock left for Kiev at the same time as his trip to Madrid and traveled from there to Moscow.
It will probably be a long time before the Federal Chancellor himself sets off for Moscow – according to transatlantic custom, the United States is on the agenda first.
Government circles say they are aiming for February for the trip, but there is no fixed date yet.
In terms of content, Scholz said nothing more about Russia than what was already known: the situation was "very serious", the massive Russian troop movements were a "problem for the sovereignty" of Ukraine, and Russia would pay a "high price" for possible military aggression. numbers.
On the question of possible arms deliveries to the beleaguered country, Scholz only explained that his position was "in continuity with previous governments" and "what they cleverly got underway".
Those would not be arms shipments.
It is significant, however, that an important topic of conversation between Scholz and Sánchez was the continuation of joint European armaments projects, from the Euro drone to the European FCAS combat aircraft.
In the fight against Corona, they are apart
The pandemic could not be left out as an issue, especially since combating the corona virus is one of the few areas in which Scholz and Sánchez are not pulling together.
The Spaniard recently announced that in the long run one would have to learn to treat Covid “like flu” in order to relieve the health systems.
Sánchez was sharply criticized in Spain for this statement, which would also have meant a relaxation of the measures or quarantine rules.
In the press conference, he tried to adopt a conciliatory tone, emphasizing that of course he did not want to propose a “completely new management” of the pandemic “in the middle of the sixth wave”.
But perhaps governments will have to rethink their pandemic policies in the coming months or years.
When asked whether the German Chancellor saw it that way, Scholz only praised the high vaccination rate in Spain.
Germany must improve in this area, and that can be achieved by creating more "commitment".
Scholz did not hear the word “obligatory vaccination”.
