Mariano Rajoy maintains that the government has targeted the people to benefit from all measures adopted

La Zarzuela Theatre, Madrid

During his speech, Mariano Rajoy praised the politician from Luxembourg, whose political career he described as "extraordinary, given over to public service, to the best of politics", and "to an unparalleled project such as European integration".

According to the President of the Government, Jean-Claude Juncker has had "the ability to humanise the responses to all forms of crisis", since, in his opinion, he is "a true humanist" who has found a way "to find a just balance between the need to adopt technical measures that offer results to highly compromised challenges and an inescapable respect for the dignity of people".

In Spain, unemployment will fall by 650,000 in 2015

Pool Moncloa / D. MudarraThe President of the Government pointed out that this same goal has also been sought in Spain. "The measures we have adopted are measures that have an economic objective of improving competitiveness and balancing the accounts, but in the end the main target of these measures are our citizens". That is why, when "circumstances dictate, we must always defend those in the toughest situations", such as pensioners and those who are out of work, he said.

"The results are for the benefit of people", declared Mariano Rajoy. In this regard, he announced that unemployment will fall this year by 650,000 people, "a record figure in the history of Spain on this issue, which must spur us all on to continue working because there are still many people in a difficult situation".

Juncker Investment Plan, Energy Union and the TTIP

The President of the Government underlined that Jean-Claude Juncker views the economy "as a tool at the service of people and not the opposite". That is why he has pushed through the Investment Plan for Europe, known as the 'Juncker Investment Plan', which seeks to "reactivate investment in the EU and boost investments in strategic sectors, such as energy and telecommunications".

He also underlined the boost that the present European Commission has given to Energy Union. In this regard, the President of the Government expressly thanked the backing for the Action Plan for Interconnections between Spain, France and Portugal, an agreement that was signed on 4 March in Madrid.

The President of the Government also mentioned the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the United States, an initiative that Jean-Claude Juncker has "tirelessly" backed. This alliance, he explained, "will allow economic flows to increase between the two richest areas of the world", which will increase "the disposable income of each family by 550 euros a year", without endangering "European progress on social, healthcare and cultural issues".

The migratory drama

Pool Moncloa / D. MudarraAs regards the "migratory drama" unfolding, Mariano Rajoy highlighted the actions being taken by the European Commission, backed by its president. "The proposals for relocating or resettling 40,000 people, followed by a further 120,000 people, potential beneficiaries of international protection, originating from the Commission headed up by Jean-Claude Juncker".

On this point, President of the Government Rajoy underlined Spain's position, which "has unconditionally offered its experience on the matter of migratory flows, as well as its intention to implement the measures approved in Europe".

An increasingly united EU

Before ending his speech, Mariano Rajoy referred to the "growing detachment of citizens" regarding the EU, which Jean-Claude Juncker proposes to combat through "actions to increase the legitimacy of the EU, extend citizen participation and increase institutional democracy".

The President of the European Commission is convinced "that the best means available to Europeans to tackle global challenges is to continue taking steps towards an increasingly united EU".