Pedro Sánchez: "Spain is growing vigorously in an extraordinarily difficult geopolitical context, and this is a success for the country"

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during one of his interventions at the Executive control session held in the Lower House of Parliament (EFE)

In the Government control session held in the Lower House, Pedro Sánchez stressed that Spain is growing more than the major European economies. Just today, he added, a private institution raised its forecast for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in 2024 to 2.1%, higher than the official forecast. The president also welcomed the figures on job creation, social security affiliation and inflation, as well as the consolidation of public accounts.

"Spain is growing vigorously in an extraordinarily difficult geopolitical context, and this is a success for the country, for the employers, the unions and the workers and, of course, also for the government and the economic policy we are implementing", he said in his reply to Alberto Núñez Feijóo, a member of the People's Parliamentary Group.

With respect to the result of the Catalan autonomous elections on 12 May, the head of the Executive described it as "the opportunity to open a new era" based on the unity of all Catalans and of Catalonia with the rest of Spain. "Spain is neither sinking nor breaking up, Spain is more prosperous and more united", he said.

Democratic regeneration measures

In his reply to Mertxe Aizpurua, a member of the Euskal Herria Bildu parliamentary group, Pedro Sánchez announced that the government is working on measures "to promote the democratic regeneration of our country" in the executive, judicial and legislative spheres.

The president defended the need to have, following the European elections on 9 June "a serious, rigorous, ambitious and complex debate" on this challenge, "which all democracies are facing".

He also invited the parliamentary groups to present their proposals in defence of stability, coexistence and democracy and stressed his commitment in this area. "If there is one thing I have shown over the six years of my presidency, it is that I deal with the issues and do not shy away from them, let them drag on or exacerbate them," he said.

Management and dialogue with Catalonia

The head of the Executive responded to the MP Míriam Nogueras, of the Junts per Catalunya parliamentary group, saying that the Spanish government tries to help the Catalan government in the management of matters affecting that community.

Pedro Sánchez pointed out that Catalonia has a drought problem because desalination plants have not been built in the last decade. In addition, he mentioned that the education system in the Community, according to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) report, was "at the top" in terms of academic skills in the country and today is "at the bottom", as is the case with healthcare.

The president recalled that the government is providing economic resources both to improve the Rodalies suburban railway service and for the execution of the Mediterranean Corridor, issues in which the Junts deputy took an interest.

In addition, Pedro Sánchez has urged the groups in Parliament to engage in dialogue and form a new Executive in Catalonia that is dedicated to strengthening public services and solving the problems faced by Catalans.

Non official translation