Pedro Sánchez: "This Government is consolidating the policy of job creation, growth, coexistence and social rights that we started six years ago"

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during his speech at the control session in the Lower House of Parliament (Agencia EFE)

Pedro Sánchez, in the Lower House of Parliament, has defended the progress achieved in the last legislature and in the months since the investiture. According to the leader of the Executive, the Government is being "coherent" and "is consolidating the policy of job creation, economic growth and progress in social rights initiated six years ago".

The president recalled that "during the last legislature, this government approved more than 200 legislative reforms", listing among the most important advances the reform of article 49 of the Constitution to recognise more rights for people with disabilities, the increase in the interprofessional minimum wage, the approval of the parity law and the revaluation of pensions.

During his reply to Mertxe Aizpurúa, a member of the Euskal Herria Bildu parliamentary group, Pedro Sánchez assured that the main task of the Executive is now to develop the approved reforms. Among the issues pending development, Pedro Sánchez highlighted the housing law, the law on artistic education and labour reform, regarding which the "debate on the reduction of working hours must be addressed".

Reform of regional funding and consolidation of public finances

The chief executive responded to MP for Junts per Catalunya Míriam Nogueras that the political situation in Spain today is "infinitely better" than in 2018. In this respect, he highlighted the increase in regional funding implemented by his Government - "an average of over €250 billion more than the previous six years" - and reaffirmed his commitment to reforming the regional funding system and recognising "the uniqueness of the people of Catalonia".

Pedro Sánchez pointed out that the measures taken to strengthen the welfare state have yielded results: "The savings capacity of households in 2023 has doubled", adding that "we are reducing social, intergenerational and territorial inequality, and this is the commitment of the Government of Spain".

To conclude, the President of the Government described the fact that the European Commission has removed Spain from the excessive deficit procedure as "extraordinary news": "We are expanding the economy, creating jobs and consolidating public accounts," he concluded.

Non official translation