Pedro Sánchez: "Spain is once again at the forefront of Europe's leading economies"

Royal Palace of La Almudaina, Palma de Mallorca

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, travelled to Mallorca on Tuesday, where he held his traditional summer office with His Majesty the King, Felipe VI, at the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, in Palma. Pedro Sánchez took stock of the political year in his meeting with the head of state, to whom he expressed his satisfaction with the economic situation, "in a difficult and complex year from the international point of view".

"Spain is once again at the forefront of the main European economies in terms of economic growth", he stressed, referring to the GDP figures released on Tuesday, which show that our country is growing by 2.9% year-on-year, 0.8% quarter-on-quarter, doubling the initial forecasts of the economic institutions and the Government of Spain.

Pedro Sánchez also celebrated the good employment figures, highlighting the EPA data, and the "historic records of 21.7 million people who are working and paying Social Security contributions".

"What we want, and that is why we are working from the Government of Spain, is for these macroeconomic data also have a translation to the daily life of our citizens," he added.

Housing legislature

"The commitment of the Government of Spain is to turn this legislature into the legislature of housing, to try to raise together this fifth pillar of the welfare state", the president stressed. He made clear his government's "firm commitment to housing", "one of the main concerns for all citizens, both in the Balearic Islands and in the country as a whole".

On housing, he recalled his legislative commitment to make 180,000 public housing units available to citizens, and the signing this week of the agreement between Housing and the ICO to put 5 billion into circulation to build 43,000 housing units.

He also announced that housing will be the central theme of the next Conference of Presidents to be held in Cantabria, the organisation of which will begin in September.

Recognition of island uniqueness

The chief executive also took the opportunity to recognise the singularity linked to the insularity of the Balearic Islands and recalled his government's support for the Special Regime for the Balearic Islands (REIB) between now and 2028. In this regard, he called for "empathy, understanding for the uniqueness of other territories", which "is not at odds with any question that has to do with equality between Spaniards, which is of course guaranteed".

Renewal of constitutional bodies

The President of the Government has hailed the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary as "one of the best pieces of news we have had in the last five years". Prior to his meeting with Felipe VI, and together with the Minister for the Presidency, Justice and Parliamentary Relations, Félix Bolaños, Pedro Sánchez attended the swearing-in ceremony of the new judge of the Constitutional Court, José María Macías, presided over by H.M. the King, in the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, in Palma.

Non official translation