Sánchez asserts he has “the best of relations with Germany” and downplays Von der Leyen’s remarks

Eduardo González The Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, asserted this Thursday in Brussels that Spain maintains “the best of relations with Germany” and downplayed the remarks made by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in which she questioned the validity of the rules-based international system as the only way to defend the EU's interests: “In the European Parliament, she was very clear in her defense of the international order and international law.” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has faced strong criticism in his own country for his apparent inaction in the face of threats from US President Donald Trump against Spain in retaliation for the Spanish government's decision not to allow the use of the Morón and Rota military bases for the offensive against Iran. "We have the best of relations" with Germany, Sánchez declared in Brussels upon his arrival for the European Council (EUCO) meeting, where he will meet with the German Chancellor. "What is important, what is relevant to me, and I want to thank Chancellor Merz for this, is that in his private meeting with President Donald Trump he explained the solidarity of Europe, and of course also of Germany, with Spain," and that he made it clear that trade policy "is in the hands of Europeans and not in the hands of national governments." Regarding Von der Leyen's remarks, he continued, "I believe the Commission President was very clear the day after the President of the Council addressed the European Union ambassadors." "In the European Parliament, I mean, she was very clear in her defense of the international order and international law," he added. Last Monday, March 9, during the EU 2026 Ambassadors' Conference held in Brussels, Von der Leyen stated that the EU cannot rely on rules-based multilateralism as the "only way to defend" its interests and even went so far as to say that the Union cannot continue to be the guardian of an old world order that "is gone and will not return." Von der Leyen's words were almost immediately contradicted by the President of the European Council, António Costa, who, at the same Ambassadors' Conference, warned that the Union must support "the rules-based international order." Faced with the avalanche created by her own words, Von der Leyen herself backtracked two days later during a parliamentary debate in Strasbourg on the crisis in the Middle East, in which she recalled that the European Union “was founded as a peace project” and reiterated its “unwavering commitment” to the pursuit of peace, the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and respect for international law, principles that “are as fundamental today as they were at the time of our creation.” Middle East One of the main topics of the European Council meeting will be the military escalation in the Middle East, the EU's response to its geopolitical and economic consequences (including energy prices and energy security), and the situation in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank. Europe is based on the principles of multilateralism, and therefore, on shared, not unilateral, decision-making, international law, peace, and respect for peaceful coexistence between nations and societies. In this regard, Sánchez warned that “Europe is based on the principles of multilateralism, and therefore, on shared, not unilateral, decision-making, international law, peace, and respect for peaceful coexistence between nations and societies,” principles that are being “called into question, once again, in the war with Iran, a war that the Spanish government has condemned, does not support, and considers illegal.” Therefore, he affirmed, if Europe is able to uphold “the principles and values that have brought us to this point,” it will be possible “to end this war soon, to bring back to the table those parties that are currently at odds, and to find peaceful solutions to conflicts that, unfortunately, are not only costing human lives, but also creating refugees.” “That is what Spain will defend, and I hope it will also be the position that emerges from this Council today,” he added. Energy Furthermore, regarding the economic impact of the war in Iran, the Prime Minister warned that the best way for Europe to lower energy prices is “to invest in domestic energy,” which “is not oil or gas, but solar and wind power—renewable energies.” In Spain, he asserted, 60 percent of electricity comes “from renewable generation sources,” and thanks to this, “last Saturday, Spain had an electricity price of fourteen euros per megawatt-hour,” while “in Italy, Germany, and France, it was over one hundred euros per megawatt-hour.” “We are talking about facts, about data, not opinions,” he insisted. “What is clear is that, since this illegal war in Iran began 19 days ago, electricity prices have skyrocketed in many other European countries as a consequence of the increase in gas prices, but not in the case of Spain,” he stated. Therefore, in Sánchez's opinion, the solution to lower gas prices in the EU “is very simple: it is to invest in our domestic energy, and domestic energy in Europe is not oil, it is not gas. Domestic energy in Europe is the sun and the wind; it is, therefore, primarily renewable energy.” Regarding Spain's "red lines" on energy, the president asserted that "the greenhouse gas emissions trading system is one of the main pillars of climate policy in Europe and the world." "Therefore," he added, "we can be open to creating some avenues for reform to adapt to a situation like the one some member states of our common project, Europe, are currently experiencing, but certainly not to dismantling it, not to weakening it, but rather, on the contrary, to strengthening it." Ukraine and Orban Pedro Sánchez also sent a message to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban regarding his decision to veto the €90 billion loan to Ukraine: “When the Council reaches an agreement, that agreement must be honored.” One of the challenges facing the European Council is overcoming the Hungarian government's veto of the twentieth package of sanctions against Russia (in fact, the Hungarian Prime Minister has presented his own sanctions proposal, which has been rejected by the other member states) and circumventing Budapest's blockade of the €90 billion loan to Ukraine, whose deadline for the first payment is at the end of April. Hungary has warned that it will maintain the veto until the Druzhba oil pipeline is reactivated. Its disruption affected oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia following the Russian airstrikes last January. Despite the European Union announcing an agreement with Ukraine on Tuesday to finance the repair of the oil pipeline, Orban has once again warned via social media that “without oil deliveries, there will be no money for Ukraine.” “I believe that what is expected of any president, whether of Hungary or any other nation, is that when the Council reaches an agreement—and we reached an agreement at the end of last year—that agreement must be honored,” warned Pedro Sánchez, one day after receiving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Madrid, to whom he announced a new bilateral military aid package for 2026 worth one billion euros, a significant portion of which will be channeled through the EU's Action for the Security of Europe (SAFE) financial instrument. In the joint press conference with Sánchez at Moncloa, the Ukrainian president (who will participate in this EUCO via videoconference) insisted on the need to "increase funding and arms production capabilities in Ukraine or in coordination with other Europeans" and, therefore, that the EU must release the "90 billion euros blocked" due to Hungary's veto.

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