Mariano Rajoy considers that building bridges is the best way to welcome in 2018

Puente de Rande, Pontevedra

In his speech, Mariano Rajoy recalled that Rande Bridge, which has now been extended, was opened in 1978 and that, precisely 40 years ago, "the Spanish people also implemented one of the most dazzling political architecture projects of the 20th Century -our Transition -which was an exceptional bridge of reconciliation and concord which has led is to enjoy the best years of democracy and modernisation in Spain".

The President of the Government also added that the Maastricht Treaty came into force 25 years ago today in Spain. "This anniversary reminds us of our European vocation and of the great strides Spain has made in the social, political and economic spheres of the EU. Major projects, such as European construction and sizable infrastructures, such as this Rande Bridge, help drive our prosperity, provide a response to the social demand for mobility and connectivity and contribute to the territorial structure of Spain".

Grounds for optimism

In his speech, the President of the Government acknowledged that 2017 has not been an easy year, and yet "the Spanish economy as a whole has continued with its sound expansion and we have grown by over 3% for the third straight year".

According to Mariano Rajoy, there are grounds for optimism, "because the Spanish economy has enjoyed four years of back-to-back growth and, most importantly, we are creating jobs. For the first time in eight years, we now have 19 million people in work, a figure that had not been seen in Spain since the third quarter of 2009".

"We have done the most difficult part, which was overcoming the crisis and returning to the path of prosperity and we are now in a position to achieve the goal of seeing 20 million people in work by the end of 2019. We want this recovery to filter down to everyone and, with this aim in mind, we have just signed an agreement with the social stakeholders to raise the minimum wage by at least 20% over the next three years", underlined Mariano Rajoy.

The President of the Government highlighted that "the Spanish economy is now both far more competitive and focused on foreign trade, added to which our main export sector - tourism - has once again beaten its own record".

Mariano Rajoy stressed that the government's efforts "are and will remain geared towards the creation of jobs and prosperity and towards maintaining the stability, certainty and security that make it possible to improve general well-being. Rest assured that the government will continue working in the service of the general interest, always thinking about people because that is the only possible way to understand politics", pointed out the President of the Government.

Commitment to Galicia

Mariano Rajoy stressed that he wants the AVE high-speed railway to reach Galicia and declared the government's firm commitment to finalise the works on the high-speed corridor in 2019, "but before that, in 2018, we propose to complete the stretch between Zamora and Pedralba", he clarified.

The President of the Government also underlined "the recent decision by the Council of Ministers to bear the cost of the discount that the Regional Government of Galicia had been paying out on various stretches of the AP-9 motorway, which over the whole period of the motorway concession will amount to some 400 million euros". And in relation to airports, Mariano Rajoy pointed out that a total investment will be made of some 50 million euros over the next four years.

"Galicia is on the right path and growing and is heading in the same direction as Spain. Its infrastructures are a clear example of this", concluded the President of the Government.

Non official translation