Spain will work with EU to help refugees in ordered and global manner based on solidarity, says Mariano Rajoy

New Economy Forum, Madrid

Mariano Rajoy insisted that the Government of Spain will maintain a "constructive" position regarding the "humanitarian problem" that is ocurring with the arrival of refugees in the European Union.

After attending the breakfast and subsequent dialogue and discussion session with the Partido Popular candidate to the Regional Government of Catalonia at the New Economy Forum, the President of the Government said that Spain "will collaborate to help those people persecuted for political reasons or because of civil war in their country, which is precisely the case in Syria at the moment". The President of the Government added that this position represents the "majority sentiment among the people of Spain" and is a "moral duty, as citizens of an advanced, modern and civilised democracy such as ours".

In order for that "complex and difficult" process to be undertaken in an orderly fashion, he said, the Government of Spain has set up an Inter-ministerial Commission and will work with the regional governments, local authorities and non-governmental organisations.

Comprehensive and long-term policy

As regards the proposal from the European Commission on the refugees to be accepted by each country, Mariano Rajoy said that "Spain will show solidarity, we will not argue over numbers; however, what I do want is for there to be a global policy and that we get to the grass roots of the problem".

In this regard, the President of the Government called for Syria and Libya to be made priorities for the international community and for the EU to cooperate with the countries of origin. "As long as people cannot enjoy decent living standards in their own country, they will leave their country", he said. Mariano Rajoy welcomed the announcement made on Wednesday by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, stating that the European Union will create a fund of 1.8 billion euros for this cooperation.

The President of the Government also highlighted the need for the EU to fight together against the mafias engaged in people trafficking, "because we cannot stand here and ignore the number of people who have lost their lives in the Mediterranean".