Mariano Rajoy and Angela Merkel sealed Santiago de Compostela , the hometown of Prime Minister, a alliance to defend in Brussels , and to governments Socialists such as France and Italy, the austerity and structural policies reforms that have governed the EU policy since the outbreak of the crisis.
During their joint appearance on the second day of his official visit, both leaders defended to the hilt the fiscal consolidation as the only way to combat the recession. Have these, defended both Rajoy as Merkel, which have allowed Spain to score four consecutive quarters of growth and start creating jobs. The speech resembled the two as two drops of water. “My position on the austerity policy is the same as when I got to the Government. Must follow policies of fiscal consolidation and reforms. Spain will continue to make reforms but sometimes they are hard and difficult to explain,” Rajoy said. “I agree with the Spanish president,” his guest replied immediately.
first tangible effect This strengthening of Madrid-Berlin axis is the appointment of Luis de Guindos as president of the Eurogroup , the board that meets once a month to the finance ministers of the euro area partners. The Chancellor announced that his country will support his candidacy, which in practice, and barring a last-minute veto by France and Italy, given by closed their choice.
With De Guindos Berlin ensures Eurogroup put forward a defense of economic assumptions driven by Germany. Merkel made that clear when he praised as “an excellent minister of Economy in Spain in hard times” and his ability to work with his German counterpart, Wolfgang Schaeuble.
The Government is targeting with this decision a victory after fighting in Brussels for months by the appointment of the Minister of Economy. With Spanish as head of Eurogroup, aspires to regain some lost prestige and influence during the crisis while erasing the image of being one of the ‘sick man of Europe’ countries.
However, De Guindos still must wait ten months to take up his new post. It will not until the expiration of the mandate of the Dutch Jeroen Dijsselbloem, also once boosted the post with the support of Berlin, who then chose ahead of Spanish. Although it had considered the possibility that Dijsselbloem resign or be forced to do so after a year and a half punctuated by controversy, the German chancellor was now explicitly to ensure that support for the Spanish Minister materialize after completion “within” the current president Eurogroup, not before.
COMMITMENT ARIAS-CANETE
good understanding with Merkel has not served him instead Rajoy to Chancellor support explicitly in Santiago’s candidacy Miguel Arias Cañete to run a weight of portfolios in the new EU executive. Rajoy has played the chances of Spain on one card and has proposed to his former Minister of Agriculture and Environment as the only candidate for sheriff. His election is in the air and the lack of strong support from Germany can destroy the Spanish aspirations. Against Arias Cañete he weighs the rejection of European Socialists, who can not forgive the statements he made about his opponent in the last European elections, Elena Valenciano. After the duel both starred on television, Arias Cañete said that “the debate between a man and a woman is very complicated” because “if you make an abuse of intellectual superiority, it appears you are a macho and are rounding up a defenseless woman.” Today Merkel, the German ruling Socialists in a grand coalition, merely found so elusive that each country is free to propose their candidates.
ENERGY CONNECTION
In addition to appointments, alliance between Madrid and Berlin also resulted in the defense Merkel made the Spanish claim to create a energetic connection a Iberian peninsula to the mainland . For Spain would sell its remaining power in the European market. More important would be for the countries of Eastern EU opened a new gas supply route for the West, which would allow them to stop being at the mercy of Russian supplies. The main obstacle to achieving this goal is to France, but now could push Germany to Paris to unblock the project.
After two days in Santiago, Merkel and Rajoy strengthened the ties that bind them beyond their ideological affinities. The proximity showed that both approaches and matching anticipate that form a solid block in Brussels. Beyond the specific measures, the Spanish president could take heart from the economic improvement while the Chancellor was able to put Spain as an example of the economic prescriptions that has always defended beginning to show results.
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