Relationship dossier
Austria
Spain
Relationship assessment
Generally cooperative EU partnership, with disagreement over the pandemic recovery fund
Austria toward Spain
+5Austria pressed for tighter conditions and a smaller grant component during negotiations over the EU pandemic recovery fund, positions at odds with Spain's preference for substantial grant-based support. Austria ultimately accepted the negotiated package.
Spain toward Austria
+5Spain advocated substantial grant-based support during negotiations over the EU pandemic recovery fund, differing from Austria's preference for tighter conditions and a smaller grant component. Spain ultimately accepted the negotiated package.
Overall relationship
+15The relationship is shaped by EU cooperation and occasional policy differences. Negotiations over the pandemic recovery fund exposed competing national priorities, but both governments accepted the resulting common EU package. The breadth of direct bilateral cooperation beyond this framework is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Austria and Spain maintain generally cooperative relations as EU partners, with a notable disagreement during negotiations over the EU pandemic recovery fund. Austria pressed for tighter conditions and a smaller grant component, while Spain advocated substantial grant-based support. Both governments ultimately accepted the negotiated EU recovery package. The scope of additional bilateral cooperation is unclear.
Areas of tension
- Differences over the size, conditions, and grant component of the EU pandemic recovery fund.
Key developments
Austria and Spain took differing positions in EU negotiations over the pandemic recovery fund; both ultimately accepted the negotiated package.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of bilateral agreements beyond EU cooperation are unclear.
- Details of recent bilateral government cooperation are limited.