"2021 must be the year of the great recovery and the great economic transformation of Spain", says Pedro Sánchez

Madrid

Pedro Sánchez underlined that 2021 must be the year in which Spain consolidates its international reputation as a democratic, advanced, plural and avant-garde country because, as he pointed out, "our society is one of the most prosperous, free and egalitarian in the world".

The President of the Government stated that now is the time to generate confidence and definitively transform Spain through the ecological transition, the digital transformation, territorial and social cohesion and gender equality. To undertake this transformation, the government has drawn up the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan "with a view to future generations".

The President of the Government addressed the strategic lines of foreign policy. "Our commitment to multilateralism starts with greater integration and a renewed commitment to the EU", adding that the EU needs its own, independent migratory policy, based on a balance between responsibility, solidarity and humanity. As regards the agreement in principle with the United Kingdom, the President of the Government stated that "the aim is to create an area of shared prosperity in the region, and to also turn the question of Gibraltar into grounds for greater understanding with our British allies".

Pedro Sánchez also addressed trans-Atlantic relations and expressed Spain's empathy with the people of the United States in the wake of the serious incidents in the Capitol against democracy, "attacked by a new and dangerous enemy, which uses and spreads lies on a large scale, using the social media on an unprecedented scale, polarises society and generates a climate of confrontation and division, and delegitimises institutions from within and even challenges the election result when this is unfavourable". He also reaffirmed his "firm support" for the future administration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and his interest in holding a Summit of Democracies. Spain wants to actively contribute to the success of this event because, according to the President of the Government, "defending open international order from those who propose closed, authoritarian models with a clear reduction in democracy, is a great strategic priority for all democracies in the world".

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

During the two-day event, trade policy, economic and technological diplomacy, the situation in Ibero-America, immigration, the action programme in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean will all be addressed. The President of the Government stated that "Spanish cooperation must be an agent of change to mitigate the climate crisis, eradicate hunger and extreme poverty, build a fairer world and guarantee a universal global health system".

The two-day event, which the King will close off on Tuesday, will also involve the participation of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, Arancha González Laya, the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto; the Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño; the Fourth Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera, and the Minister for Home Affairs, Fernando Grande-Marlaska.

Spain's potential in the world is reflected in the fact that our passport is one of the five most powerful in the world, according to indicators. Our country is part of the Spanish-speaking community, which has a population of almost 600 million people, and of the EU - the second largest economy in the world. "The intersection of the two communities gives Spain an opportunity to play a strategic role", concluded the President of the Government.

Non official translation