German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier plans to hold political talks with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday, the second day of his state visit to Spain.
The future of Europe and the war in Ukraine are likely to be important topics. Steinmeier wants to thank Sanchez for supporting Ukraine. Spain has just pledged €817 million ($947 million) in new aid to the country to defend against a Russian invasion.
On Wednesday, Steinmeier called on Europe to prepare for the future at a joint meeting of the Chamber of Deputies and Senate in Madrid. “We need reforms to be faster and more decisive,” he said in a speech to both houses of parliament.
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Another topic on the second day of the visit is expected to be economic relations between Germany and Spain. Steinmeier and King Philip VI of Spain plan to jointly open a German-Spanish economic forum.
Steinmeier also plans to award footballer Toni Kroos the Federal Cross of Merit.
Kroos won the World Cup with Germany in Brazil in 2014. He ended his football career last year by winning the Champions League and participating in the UEFA European Championship.
However, the 35-year-old football player is respected not for his success on the football field, but for his social activity.
