Mariano Rajoy insists he will present Budget for 2017 and not call elections

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The President of the Government underlined his intention for the current legislature "to last as long as it can" because that is "reasonable" and because "this is a positive message to send out". In this regard, he said that will not call new elections and that he will present the Budget for 2017.

On the issue of public accounts, Mariano Rajoy stressed that "we are going to talk to everyone". He went on to highlight one particularly positive and important fact: "We have already approved the spending ceiling, what we can spend and the revenue area", he said.

Furthermore, the President of the Government rated the first 100 days of this new government highly because, besides approving the spending ceiling, the first steps have been taken towards agreements on various issues, including education and pensions. "Certain steps are being taken in the right direction", he added, and he hopes that "we are all up to the task".

Catalonia

On the matter of Catalonia, the President of the Government again called for compliance with the law because any other action would erode "the rules of coexistence" and "we would no longer be in a democratic society based on the rule of law".

Pool Moncloa/JM CuadradoAfter recalling that the world is moving towards processes of integration and not division, Mariano Rajoy stressed that "we are better together, we are more, we are much better, we are united by our history" and "we are the oldest nation in Europe".

President of the Government Rajoy believes that the solution now requires three things: firstly, to talk about the real issues (regional financing, long-term care and infrastructure, etc.); secondly, to make sure that institutions serve all citizens (and not only those in favour of independence); and, thirdly, to recover the internal cohesion destroyed by "the pro-independence movement".

A clear and understandable government position

The President of the Government accepted that Catalonia is one of the issues that most "concerns" him and that it is a "difficult" problem. Nonetheless, the Government of Spain will try to resolve it "with the greatest of common sense and balance".

He defended the government's action as being "very clear, very sharp and very understandable". He explained that he has met his obligation to guarantee the unity of Spain, national sovereignty and the equality of all Spaniards, and that he is now letting the courts act against those who broke the law on 9 November.

The President of the Government described the fact that the Regional Government of Catalonia is now being "conditioned, blackmailed and threatened" by "a group of extremists such the CUP" as "very dangerous". He said that this not only relates to the matter of independence but that "there could be a change in the economic and social model of Catalonia that could lead to a situation that, in my opinion, would not be good for anyone".

Relations with other political forces

When asked about the limitation on mandates, Mariano Rajoy said that this is somewhat "typical" of presidential regimes and that "it does not exist in Europe". He said that this "should be a voluntary decision by the people". At any event, he expressed his willingness to talk with the other political forces about this as it was one of the topics included in the agreement with Ciudadanos.

Pool Moncloa/JM CuadradoIn this regard, Mariano Rajoy recalled that he was re-elected President of the Government at the end of October and that he feels "good" and "full of energy". He stressed that "Spain has had three good years" and that the government's work is not yet done. Furthermore, he insisted that the goal is to reach 20 million people in work by 2020, for which between 400,000 and 500,000 jobs need to be created each year.

On the matter of PSOE, the President of the Government did not wish to comment on the party's internal processes although he said that "I will try to maintain the most reasonable relationship possible because that is best for Spain".

As regards Podemos, he said that agreements will not be easy because its position "is not on the same playing field as six or seven of the parties in parliament currently find ourselves".

Conversation with Donald Trump

Mariano Rajoy described the telephone conversation he had last week with the new President of the United States as "friendly". He explained that, among other issues, they spoke about the economic situation in the two countries, Brexit and the future of Europe.

He said that Donald Trump expressed his intention to maintain, "as always, a good relationship with the Government of Spain and the people of this country". Mariano Rajoy stressed that, as President of the Government of Spain, he has an obligation "to get on with everyone, not create difficulties and defend the interests of his country".

Furthermore, the President of the Government explained that he did not offer himself as "anyone's mediator", although he did highlight the excellent relations that Spain has with Latin America, the countries of North Africa and its partners in the European Union.

Other current affairs

Pool Moncloa/JM CuadradoIn response to a question on the recent political scandals, Mariano Rajoy stressed that, although many things have already been done, he is willing to "consider any proposal made to me so we can become more effective in the fight against corruption and to ensure this does not happen again".

As regards the electricity price increase, the President of the Government said that this cost was exceptionally low in 2016 and that 2015 prices will return in 2017. He explained that the reason can be found in the increasing price of oil, natural gas and coal (over 100%). Furthermore, he added that weather conditions have not helped a great deal and recalled that the Government of Spain has frozen the fixed part of the bill.

Regarding the Garoña Power Station, Mariano Rajoy said that the Government of Spain is listening to various opinions and that there is a period of six months before a decision is reached.

As regards the future of Europe, he said it is important to conclude the election process well in such countries as Germany and France. "It would be bad for them [the elections] to be won by parties - as was the case in the United Kingdom - that do not believe in the European project". He stressed that the Treaty of Rome - the origin of the current European Union - has its 60th anniversary in March. This agreement has given Europe its longest period of peace, security, freedom and progress in history.