Speech by President of the Government at event to posthumously award Rita Barberá the Golden Key for Municipal Contribution

Mr President of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (Spanish acronym: FEMP), Madam First Vice-President of the Government, Mr Second Vice-President of the Government, public officials, family members, friends of our dear Rita Barberá, ladies and gentlemen,

Mr Secretary General of the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces, I want to very warmly welcome all those who make FEMP what it is through their day-to-day work - a renowned institution that defends the interests of the Spanish people as a whole.

Rita Barberá was an extraordinary mayor. She governed in Valencia from 1991 to 2015, 24 years, and managed to transform her city into what it is today: one of the most attractive cities in Spain and in the whole of the Mediterranean. And we have gathered here today to take part in an event which is an act of strict justice: to pay tribute and honour her memory.

This is only the second time in its history, after the posthumous award in 2015 of Pedro Aparicio, the former Mayor of Malaga and President of this institution - Abel Caballero mentioned him in his speech - that the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces has awarded its highest distinction: the Golden Key for Municipal Contribution.

This decision could not be more worthy and I wish to congratulate Abel Caballero, President of this institution, on his decision and, above all, I wish to thank him for this in a very special manner. I could, although I don't know if it is necessary, refer to many of the statements you have made, dear Abel, in your speech today, but perhaps I will sum it up in just one or perhaps two remarks.

One is the human dimension of politics. You have a history, as do I, and a track record. You have done some good things, I imagine that some not so good things, like all of us, although for some people everything we do is wrong, but I believe that an event such as today's will feature in a very special place on your curriculum. I am grateful to you as I believe many other people are. In all honesty, I believe that you have made a good decision and you have given a human dimension to politics that should never be lost.

Aside from that, you have municipal and provincial councils - you have spoken about this, about their proximity to the people - which resolve the day-to-day problems of lots of people, who don't understand anything about the division of powers, as you would expect. People want the mayor to resolve their problems and not to say whether this power lies with one authority or another.

But there are two things that I would like to say about local councils, before moving on to briefly mention Rita Barberá. First, local councils undoubtedly represent and must represent and be proactive in structuring our country, Spain. I believe that this is very important and I believe that we all defend Spain and that we all fight to this end. Those of us who are in government, in the National Parliament and in any other parliamentary chamber; but I believe that municipal councils undoubtedly have an important task to perform.

And the second comment I wish to make, because it is only fair, is the role local councils have played in trying to ensure that the public accounts in Spain are a little better than they used to be. We have undergone, as everyone knows, a very tough economic crisis, probably the toughest in Spain's history: five straight years of negative growth, with many jobs lost. They have been difficult years; we have had to take complicated decisions and in that regard it is important to value the role local councils have played, having found a way to offset what other public authorities could have done better and have had a surplus for many years now. This clearly goes to show that Spain belongs to us all, that local councils have a lot to offer, and above all, know how to offer this very well.

So Abel, thank you very much on behalf of all of those who subscribe to these words.

I also believe that this tribute to Rita should serve as a tribute to the thousands of men and women who work tirelessly at a municipal and provincial level to improve people's lives. I believe that the task of municipal work, which sometimes is misunderstood, is also very gratifying because municipal politics, at the end of the day, affects people's day-to-day lives; this is the closest form of public authority to people. Under municipal politics, when a mayor or a councillor takes decisions, you can see the positive effects of these decisions very swiftly.

I would also like to take this opportunity to remember those councillors who lost their lives to terrorism. Just one death in this manner would have been one too many. They will always be in our memory and I am absolutely sure that Rita would gladly give them this Golden Key for Municipal Contribution because she always defended the memory of victims.

Ladies and gentlemen,

All of those who were lucky enough to be her friends, and I was a party colleague of hers for many years, but I was, above all, a friend of hers, know that Rita Barberá was one of the great political personalities of modern Spain since the Transition. But not only was she a great personality, Rita was, above all, an excellent person. Rita was good; she was a good person; she was a decent person, a hard worker; she was always trying to resolve people's problems. She was much loved by all those who stood at her side, in the party or people who were not involved in politics or in any other activity. And I believe that this bonhomie, this desire to help others, to try and resolve their problems, this positive and constructive spirit she always had was undoubtedly closely related to her great success as a mayor.

I was fortunate enough to have the honour, and it was both good fortune and an honour, to be her friend for more than 30 years. I remember the negotiations for her to become the Mayor of Valencia in 1991. I was always convinced and certain, because I spoke a great deal with her and saw her often, that she wanted the best for Valencia. That was her life's work and she achieved this in spades. She never wanted anything other than to be the Mayor of Valencia and believe me, and furthermore it is hard not to believe me, that she had the opportunity to have been many things.

Today Valencia is a modern city, it is a thriving city and, if we look back, all of us, above all the people of Valencia, know how much the city has grown and modernised. She has given her all for her city; she had a great affection for Valencia and I believe that today, and I am absolutely convinced that she can hear us, she would be very proud of her recognition here.

Very little time has gone by but we all still feel a great loss at the death of Rita. I hope that this award will fill you with legitimate pride and with the knowledge that people from very different parties honour her memory and her legacy is very important, because here there are people from very different parties and people who have fought on the other side to her politically. The President of the Spanish Federation is himself from the Socialist Party and, as he reminded us, we also fought against each other; but, in the end, we had our rules, our common sense and we did things. I also believe it is good to vindicate certain people who have been political leaders for a long time. Now, while it seems that everything is new and that new apostles are springing up everywhere, this is not the case; there were also politicians who did a great deal for their country in the past and we are still willing to continue doing this.

Rita was a fighter, she was generous, she was kind, she was approachable, she was friendly and she was always looking to help everyone. We miss her, I miss her and we are going to continue missing her for a very long time. I miss her vitality, her commitment, her standing, her passion for her city, for her neighbours and, if you will allow me, her rows because there were a few. Although she is no longer with us, her memory still remains and it will do so forever.

Congratulations. And Abel, thank you very much, once again.