BERLIN — Angela Merkel pursed her lips and smirked.

“Many people in your own ranks are excited about the Austrian chancellor, who is young, dynamic, direct, out of the ordinary,” a German journalist said to Merkel Wednesday as she stood next to Austria’s political boy wonder. “Is this the type of politician that’s missing here?”

At 63, Merkel is twice as old as Sebastian Kurz, the new Austrian leader who ended a two-day visit to Berlin on Thursday. And though few would question Merkel’s political skills, dynamism is not an attribute often ascribed to her.

“The Austrian chancellor is young, there’s no denying it,” Merkel said, looking at her notes as if searching for a better answer. “Furthermore, we’re working to become good partners.”

She then played for time by delivering an awkward riff about the importance of addressing the needs of society as a whole. “The young are just as important to me as the old,” she said, before calling an abrupt end to her inaugural press conference with the new Austrian leader.

"The alternative to Merkel is not the Alternative for Germany, it’s Kurz" — Die Welt

Though brief, Merkel’s rare loss of poise during a set-piece appearance with a foreign leader underscored what a nuisance Kurz has become for her. Kurz’s youth and popular appeal would annoy any veteran politician. What worries Merkel and her allies more is what he represents.

Before Kurz, conventional wisdom held that any centrist politician who adopts the policies of the far right would lose credibility and voter support.

Kurz, who rose to political prominence in Austria as foreign minister by taking a hard line on refugee policy, has proved the theory wrong. In last fall’s election, he took the center-right Austrian People’s Party from third to first place by focusing its message squarely on migration, an issue that has been the bread and butter of Europe’s populists for a generation.

Kurz, who only took leadership of his party over the summer, seized the opportunity to break Austria’s long cycle of grand coalitions between the center right and the center left and form an alliance with the populist Freedom Party.

The secret to Kurz’s success: showing, not telling.

Instead of adopting far-right rhetoric with its neo-fascist overtones, Kurz focused on policy. His efforts in 2016 to close the main migration route for refugees through the Balkans toward Northern Europe made him a hero at home, all the more so given that he did so in the face of stiff resistance from Europe’s most powerful politician, Chancellor Merkel.

Along the way, Kurz became a favorite on Germany’s talkshow circuit, where he defended Austria’s moves with a calm, measured manner that has become his signature. In contrast to the often brutish populists, Kurz comes across as reasonable and considerate, qualities that take the bite out of refugee policies his critics insist are every bit as harsh as those of the far right.

Austrian alternative

As Merkel has clashed with conservatives in her own Christian Democratic Union (CDU) over refugee policy, Kurz has emerged as a model for the right.

“The alternative to Merkel is not the Alternative for Germany, it’s Kurz,“ the conservative daily Die Welt wrote on Thursday, referring to the far-right AfD party.

Even if Merkel succeeds in building another coalition with the Social Democrats, few doubt she has entered the twilight of her political career. While there is no obvious successor waiting in the wings, the younger generation of leaders in her party is decidedly more conservative than the chancellor, who many in the party believe has taken it too far to the left.

One candidate is Jens Spahn, a deputy finance minister and member of the CDU executive, who has openly challenged Merkel on refugees and other issues. Not coincidentally, he has also cultivated a relationship with Kurz, even traveling to Vienna on election day to celebrate with him.

“There was little we disagreed about" — Angela Merkel

At a time when the CDU is being attacked from the right by the AfD and urged to take a harder line on policies surrounding refugees and the integration of foreigners, the pressure to follow Kurz’s example is unlikely to abate.

As one might expect, given the two countries' common history and language, the ties between the German and Austrian conservatives run deep. And while the AfD is nowhere near as popular as Austria's Freedom Party, the two countries’ political cultures, including a predilection for grand coalitions, are not dissimilar.

On Europe, for example, both ascribe to the same brand of fiscal conservatism that made Germany the scourge of Southern Europe during the eurozone crisis.

When it comes to Merkel and Kurz, however, that may be where the overlap on approaching Europe ends.

Though he says he supports reforming the bloc, Kurz opposes the idea of a two-speed Europe put forth by Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron. Instead, he has aligned himself with Central European countries that want more emphasis on national sovereignty. With Austria set to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of this year, when the reform debate will be in full swing, Kurz is likely to be an important voice.

For now, Kurz is playing the diplomat. Indeed, the purpose of this week’s trip was to make peace. However weakened Merkel might be by the political limbo in Germany, Kurz knows that he has little to gain by provoking her.

While Kurz didn’t deny the differences between himself and the German chancellor, he emphasized the importance of the bilateral relationship, especially for Austria. Germany is both Austria’s largest trading partner and main source of tourism.

Merkel, at least for the cameras, was willing to return the favor.

"There was little we disagreed about," she insisted.

CORRECTION: This story was updated to correct Angela Merkel's age. She is 63.