Spain is experiencing a "watershed moment" of its own, with the public at times even favoring NATO’s intervention should Vladimir Putin not stop Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. There is also strong support for a geopolitical EU. To achieve it, widening and deepening must go together.

Many in Madrid hope that a post-Merkel government will accept that a monetary union is impossible without a fiscal union. In this and other areas, paying more attention to Spain would be a chance to advance the EU.