Speech by the President of the Government at the opening of the Pompidou Centre in Malaga

Madam Minister for Culture and Communication of the French Republic; Mayor of Malaga; Mr. Deputy President of the Regional Government of Andalusia; senior officials; President of the Deputation; Government Delegate; Members of Parliament; Ms Celia Villalobos; Mr Antonio Banderas; my dear friends,

Still shocked as we are by the tragic plane crash last Tuesday, I want to start as did the Minister of Culture and Communication of the French Republic, with an affectionate and supportive reminder of all the victims, their families and loved ones.

And I also want to take the opportunity provided by the presence here of the Minister, to express my very sincere thanks - and it's not a question of protocol, my sincerity is genuine - to the President of the French Republic and the French Government, represented today by the Minister, for their outstanding cooperation and assistance in these painful circumstances. I will not forget it, nor will the other representatives of my Government who were there, or the many Spanish officials who are still there trying to give some warmth and support to the families of the victims. Thank you and please pass on my thanks to your Prime Minister and the President of the Republic. Thank You.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

France and Spain's condition as neighbours within the strong framework of cooperation provided by our history and the European Union, has forged a close set of ties and relationships that covers a wide range of areas. In the field of culture, the strong ties and mutual influences between our nations make it possible that today we are witnessing one of the great cultural events of the year in our country.

The inauguration of this Pompidou Centre is a result of what you can only call the exceptional leadership - because that is what it is - of one of the most important institutions of modern and contemporary art in the world, and its desire to internationalise knowledge.

Madam Minister, the cultural dimension is a key asset of France's influence in the world and we have to thank you, your government and the president of the Centre for the wise decision of choosing this Spanish city, Malaga, as the location to set up the first Pompidou Centre outside your country. Today this Government has taken up the commitment to make this Centre a standard-bearer for two countries joined in spreading our unique cultural treasures.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This Centre is the result of the leadership of the Pompidou Centre and its willingness to internationalise; but it is also the result of the drive and ambition of a whole city, which has on numerous occasions been at the forefront of our history, whether in commercial and industrial activity, as in the nineteenth century, or playing host to the renewal of artistic and cultural creation in the early twentieth century.

Malaga continues to set the example of a welcoming and hospitable city; but Malaga is also entrepreneurial, with its local council taking the lead, making culture the focus of a new stage in its development. Apart from being the leading tourist area in southern Europe, with over three and a half million visitors every year and a million people staying in the city; and apart from enjoying communication infrastructures that are a model for the whole of Spain, now also with the second biggest cruise port on the peninsula, right by where we are, the City Council of Malaga, with the personal commitment of its Mayor, has steadily built up a wealth of culture and museums that is enriching its social and business fabric.

The culture on offer in Malaga, in the words of the Mayor, is a symbol of its new identity as a city of knowledge and creative innovation. Malaga is already home, as the Mayor recalled in his speech, to over thirty centres or cultural initiatives, which is a very significant number - sometimes we do not realise the good things we have in our country. Its residents and visitors can, for example, enjoy the Picasso Museum, the Contemporary Art Centre, the La Térmica cultural centre, the Carmen Thyssen Museum, the Film Festival, the collection of the Russian State Art Museum of St. Petersburg, which opened, as you know, a few days ago, and the future Museum of Malaga, housed in the Palacio de la Aduana, a project that the city awaits with enthusiasm, into which the Central Government has put a great deal of effort.

The Pompidou Centre in Malaga, with almost one hundred selected works from the impressive funds of the Pompidou in Paris and the annual programming of several temporary exhibitions from its collection, completes the culture available in the city, consolidates its internationalisation and projects Malaga's image in Europe and around the world with great force. I also think another very important fact, and the Mayor also referred to it in his speech, is the collaboration of several private companies in this project, as the perfect example of the involvement of a whole society, of the entrepreneurial Malaga with a far ranging vision, a driving force for the economic engine and a model for technological innovation in the region.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Malaga has experienced a breakthrough in all sectors in recent years and I am absolutely convinced that thanks to the people of Malaga, it will remain a leading light in the current economic and social growth of Spain.

Madam Minister,

Our country has been through a very hard and very difficult period. We have begun to grow and are already beginning to create jobs. This year, 2015, will be better than 2014. Economic growth will continue faster than last year, more Spanish people than last year will find jobs, though there is still much to be done to reach our goal. But Malaga, with its new growth model, will be at the vanguard of the good times in the future.

And I want to conclude by saying that the generosity of the Pompidou Centre in Paris and the extraordinary relations we have between France and Spain will be part of this new phase of development that opens up for us now in the city of Malaga.
Thank you. It is an honour to be in this city.