Last updated in October 2009
Political relations
German-Spanish relations have traditionally been very good and are fostered by the positive basic attitude of each country’s population towards the other. Some 130,000 Spaniards live in Germany today and set an example for integration without loss of cultural identity. Conversely, recent estimates put the number of German citizens living permanently in Spain, i.e. for more than three months a year, at well over 500,000. Some 11 million German tourists also visit Spain each year.
On 31 January 2008, the German and Spanish heads of government met for consultations in Palma de Mallorca. On 12 and 13 March 2009, the 5th German-Spanish Forum met in Madrid. It was attended by Federal President Köhler and King Juan Carlos I as well as high-ranking representatives from the two countries’ political, economic and cultural sectors.
Economic relations
Germany is Spain’s second-largest trading partner after France. It is also a leading direct investor in Spanish industry. Over 1,100 German companies have subsidiaries or holdings in Spain, many with their own production facilities. German tourism also plays an important part in the two countries’ economic relations, with 11 million German tourists visiting Spain each year.
Cultural relations
Germany and Spain enjoy vigorous and intense cultural relations. Germans are increasingly interested in the Spanish language and culture (literature, films).
Germany has two Goethe Institutes in Spain, in Madrid and Barcelona, with branches in Granada and San Sebastián. Through cultural events, language courses and their library and information work, they help to give a multifaceted picture of modern Germany.
The German Archaeological Institute has a department in Madrid, which is responsible for Spain, Portugal and North Africa and has for decades promoted scientific cooperation in the region.
There are more than1,500 formal cooperation agreements between the two countries’ universities. German and Spanish institutions are engaged in hundreds of joint research projects, underlining the intensity of cooperation. An important pillar here is the Alexander von Humboldt Association with its close alumni network.
The German Academic Exchange Service runs an information centre in Barcelona and has 11 academic teachers working at Spanish universities.
The nine German Schools in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, Seville, Málaga, San Sebastián, Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Las Palmas, as well as the two German vocational schools in Madrid and Barcelona, with over 6,000 students, contribute to intercultural relations. The schools receive long-term assistance in the form of teachers seconded from Germany and material support. Germany’s worldwide network of partner schools (PASCH) includes 23 schools in Spain.
