Interactions occurring at sites where new flux emerges and an old flux system is already present can trigger various phenomena, such as flux cancellation, reconnection events, and even flaring. We analyze high-resolution observations of a small-scale flux emergence event in NOAA 10971, observed simultaneously by the Hinode satellite and the Swedish Solar Telescope in La Palma Island during a joint campaign. G-band, Halpha , and Ca II H filtergrams were acquired together with Fe I and Na I magnetograms. The data show that the emerging region seen in the photosphere is associated with Ca II H brightenings and a Halpha chromospheric surge. Moreover, EUV raster scans and XRT filtergrams show cospatial brightenings. Comparing our results with recent 3D simulations, we interpret our observations in the context of the low-altitude magnetic reconnection model, suggesting that interactions between the emerging flux and the pre-existing magnetic field can explain the observed coupling.