Pedro Sánchez: "We are among the European countries that contribute the most to peace, security and to the reconstruction of Ukraine"

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

Speech by the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, at the Government control session in the Lower House of Parliament (Pool Congreso)

The head of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, defended Spain's position in the Government control session in the Lower House of Parliament, in an international scenario that "brings uncertainty and anxiety to public opinion", as the president described it. "We are among the European Union countries that contribute most to peace, security and, above all, to the reconstruction of Ukraine," he said.

"We are well anchored, in Kyiv, in the West Bank and in Brussels", added Pedro Sánchez, who affirmed that Spain is a "constructive" and "participative" country, which has led debates such as the reform of the electricity market, the Iberian solution or the response of the European recovery funds to the pandemic crisis.

In this context, Pedro Sánchez recalled that Europeanism, multilateralism and the defence of international law, particularly international humanitarian law, are the three fundamental pillars of Spain's foreign policy. "In these three coordinates we have positioned ourselves over the last seven years, in a place that enjoys the respect, support and, I would also say, the admiration of the international community", he concluded in his response to the deputy of the Basque Parliamentary Group (EAJ-PNV), Aitor Esteban, to whom he dedicated words of praise in his farewell to the Clower House of Parliament to assume the presidency of the PNV.

Economic and social progress

In response to a question from Alberto Núñez Feijóo, a member of the Popular Parliamentary Group, on whether the "coalition government is the right thing for the current political situation", the head of the Executive assured that, "despite the complexity of parliamentary fragmentation, this government is moving Spain forward".

Pedro Sánchez pointed out as an example that "Spain is the economy that has grown the most in exports since 2020, that is, the year of the pandemic" and that it is the second power in Europe where renewable energies are most present. Economic progress which, he stressed, runs parallel to the development of wealth redistribution policies.

As for the cancellation of the autonomous communities' debt by the State announced by the First Vice-President of the Government of Spain and Minister for Treasury, María Jesús Montero, amounting to more than 83 billion euros, the President stressed that this is an amount that "the autonomous communities are going to stop paying" and asked the main opposition group to reflect on this.

Reducing inequality

With regard to the "social, political and economic transformations that the country needs", which were the focus of the question put by Ione Belarra, a member of the Mixed Parliamentary Group, Pedro Sánchez explained that what the government is doing is "changing the growth model of our country and, at the same time, redistributing wealth".

"Thanks to the Minimum Living Income, thanks to the revaluation of pensions and also to the historic increase of 61% in the Minimum Interprofessional Wage, among other policies, Spain is one of the four countries in the European Union where inequality has been reduced the most", said the President of the Government of Spain. "Right now we have a poverty risk rate at an all-time low," he said.

In the area of equality, Pedro Sánchez highlighted the renewal of the State Pact against Gender Violence by the majority of parliamentary groups, "with the exception of the far-right", and in the area of housing, he highlighted the application of the Housing Law and the promotion of the state housing company.

Non official translation