"What most concerns me now regarding what could happen in Spain in the future is a change in economic policy", says Mariano Rajoy

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

In respect of the regional elections in Andalusia, Mariano Rajoy pointed out that it would be positive for Andalusia to opt for a political change on 22 March, In terms of possible post-election pacts, he reiterated that his position is for the most-voted for party to govern and to try to reach agreements if that party does not have a sufficient majority to govern. "That is what takes place in any democracy", he asserted.

According to the President of the Government, "the most important objective, to which end all efforts should be addressed in the coming years, is to create jobs in Andalusia". Hence, if "the Regional Government of Andalusia had implemented policies geared towards creating jobs, encouraging new entrepreneurs and generating the right conditions for people to invest, Andalusia could have created 500,000 new jobs during all this time, thus bringing it up to the same level of employment as the national average".

Bipartisanship

The President of the Government claimed that the bipartisan model has worked well in Spain because it has resulted in us being one of the five countries in the world to have most increased its per capita income in the last 40 years. "This is a great country and I believe that the parties that have governed have provided a great service" However, Mariano Rajoy accepted that "this is something for the Spanish people to decide on".

Despite the crisis, the major parties are the ones who have offered Spain stability and progress, stressed the President of the Government. Although no political pacts have been agreed on for the next legislature, President of the Government Rajoy did assert that "consensus is always sought with the other major party in Spain when reaching important State agreements".

At any event, "what most concerns me at the present time, in terms of what could happen in Spain in the future, is a change in economic policy", he said, because thanks to the present policy the economy is growing and jobs are being created. He declared that "the figure of 20 million people in work can be achieved based on half a million new jobs per year if we do things right".

Welfare State

The President of the Government also underlined that, despite the "disproportional" economic crisis we have suffered, "this country has managed to maintain the basic pillars of its Welfare State and this should spur us on for the future". The indices on inequality, which grew in Spain between 2008 and 2012, started to fall in 2013. "I am absolutely convinced that these figures also improved in 2014".

Pool MoncloaOn another note, the President of the Government clarified that, when he came to power, his priority was to avoid bankruptcy because the situation in 2012 was "drastic"; 70 billion euros had been lost in revenue in just two years and it was not possible to maintain the same level of expenditure. "That is what we principally tackled in that year", added the President of the Government, "which was a tough and complicated year because there was pressure on us to ask for a bailout and refusing that was the most important thing we have done in this legislature". Mariano Rajoy explained that thanks to these decisions, "we have now grown more than anyone else and, moreover, we are now creating more jobs than anyone else".

The President of the Government pointed out that financial assistance was requested because if not, Spain would have lost "some of its leading financial institutions and we would now have much greater problems accessing credit". Thanks to this decision, "the Spanish financial system has recently passed the European Central Bank's stress tests and is acknowledged as one of the soundest systems in Europe".

Fight against corruption

Mariano Rajoy stressed that "the issue of corruption is truly one of the worst issues we have faced in Spain in recent years and people are rightly outraged at these things". The police, the Guardia Civil, public prosecutors and the justice system have all acted with "resolution" and "independence" on these matters, he highlighted.

As regards the presence of defendants on the electoral lists, the President of the Government commented that "an accusation is not a sentence", although sometimes "people are judged before the due process". Hence, "the right decision will need to be taken in each case".

General State Budget

Mariano Rajoy explained that 40% of the Spanish Government's budget is allocated to the 9.2 million pensioners. That is why the main priority is job creation because "the more people in work, the more people making National Insurance contributions, which helps maintain and improve pensions". The other major items of the Budget, he added, are unemployment benefits (30 billion euros per year) and servicing debt (which is fortunately falling, "thanks to the policy we have implemented").

The President of the Government insisted that the main priority must continue to be job creation and to this end, "we have taken some important decisions in recent times", as he announced in the latest Debate on the State of the Nation.

Catalonia

Pool MoncloaAs regards the issue of Catalonia, Mariano Rajoy recalled that "at the very most, a simulation of a referendum" took place, without any guarantees or political worth. He also underlined that "firm yet proportional" action was taken, and that no President of the Government of Spain is ever going to accept a debate on "the unity of Spain, on national sovereignty, on equality among Spaniards or on their fundamental rights".

After committing to dialogue to resolve these questions, Mariano Rajoy remarked that in Catalonia "things are calmer than a year ago and I am convinced that they will be even calmer in a year's time".

Greece

The President of the Government expressed his wish to see Greece remain in the Euro, although he asked for the country to meet its commitments, "as indeed we all do". He stressed that the European Union has helped Greece a great deal and is in a position to continue doing so.

However, he added, "Greece must help itself and it must take decisions that other EU countries have taken".