Mariano Rajoy claims that Spain is now "a country enjoying growth and in a position to initiate a long period of prosperity"

Casino of Madrid, Madrid

In his initial speech, Mariano Rajoy expressed his satisfaction at the recent improvement in the country's rating by the agency Standard & Poor's. This decision, he stressed, "reflects the increase in confidence aroused by Spain overseas", and "is recognition of the structural change that has taken place in Spain during this term of office".

The horizon projected by this agency for the Spanish economy was "absolutely unimaginable just a few months ago", he added. The President of the Government recalled that three years ago "we were the weak man of Europe" and the Spanish people lived in the shadow of the evolution of the risk premium": That situation, he argued, "was not the result of bad luck or of a conspiracy of external enemy forces", but rather "the ultimate consequence of poor policies".

The President of the Government pointed out that Spain was able to overcome this situation thanks to hard work, responsibility and reforms. In this regard, he declared that "this government, which so many people accuse of stagnation, has undertaken the greatest reform in the recent history of Spain", in such diverse areas as the labour market, the financial system, pensions, energy, the public authorities, transparency and education, among others. "Almost no aspect of our productive structure remained outside the scope of this extensive reform plan. And we must continue with this work; it is still insufficient", he highlighted.

A new horizon thanks to this collective effort

According to Mariano Rajoy, in addition to avoiding bankruptcy, during this term of office Spain has initiated an expansive economic cycle, for the first time without having to devalue its currency. Spanish companies have gone from exporting less than one quarter of the Gross Domestic Product to one third, and Spain has now posted lower inflation than our partners in the Eurozone for the last 25 straight months, "what allows us to be more competitive whilst increasing our purchasing power", he remarked.

Pool Moncloa / D. MudarraThis transformation allows us to paint a horizon for the Spanish economy with growth of around 3%, a lower public deficit and external debt, coupled with moderate inflation. "These forecasts reflect a complete change of model: the Spanish economy is growing now because it produces and exports, not because it is going into debt to buy what others produce", he pointed out. The most important consequence, he said, is that "jobs are being created at an unprecedented rate". The President of the Government argued that this rate "can be" and "must be" maintained in the future, so that over the next four years Spain can go back to having 20 million people in work as it did before the crisis.

The President of the Government highlighted that at the end of this term of office, Spain is "a country enjoying growth and in a position to initiate a long period of prosperity", thanks to the "enormous collective effort" of the people of Spain. "All of Spanish society has risen to the challenge we had to make; everyone has given the best of themselves: their hard work, their commitment and also their solidarity", he declared. In his opinion, there should be more space given over to this recognition in public debate, "that it is not the government but the people of the country as a whole".

Loyal collaboration

Among the current challenges facing Spain, Mariano Rajoy mentioned "the illegal challenge of independence", and stressed that as President of the Government he will always ensure that the law is upheld, "from a sense of duty and responsibility", and also "from a sense of proportion and prudence".

The President of the Government also asserted that he has always been and will always be "willing to talk, but not to tearing up the national sovereignty or doing away with the rights and equality of all the Spanish people". Moreover, he undertook to work to "heal the wound in Catalan society", without wasting time in "trying to satisfy those whose only goal is disloyalty and disobedience regarding the laws that we have enacted between all of us".

In short, he concluded, "you will find me to be a loyal collaborator with no demands or impositions from a position of disloyalty".

Subsequent Q&A session

Pool Moncloa / D. MudarraAt the subsequent Q&A session to close off the event, the President of the Government defended the need for European institutions to tackle migratory phenomena with policies in the countries of origin. In relation to the current refugee crisis, he pointed out that it is essential to tackle the situation in Syria and in Libya. In the case of Syria, the priority is the fight against DAESH terrorism, and hence the moderate opposition and the regime in Damascus should take part in helping resolve this conflict, he argued.

As regards corruption, Mariano Rajoy referred to the raft of democratic regeneration measures approved by the government to "suppress and prevent" this type of conduct. Moreover, he argued that during this term of office the courts of justice and the Public Prosecutor's Office have acted independently. "The government has respected their work, just like that of the Guardia Civil and the National Police Force", he said.

As regards the announcement made by the Chairman of Volkswagen that the company will review all its scheduled investments, the President of the Government responded that he will try to ensure that this decision does not affect Spain. Mariano Rajoy added that he hopes that the manufacturer resolves its problems "as soon as possible", and highlighted the importance of the automobile sector for the Spanish economy and its commitment to our country during the crisis.