Speech by President of the Government at event to inaugurate San Salvador reservoir

Albalate de Cinca (Huesca)

Mr President of the Regional Government of Aragon; Luis Fernanda Rudí, former President of the Regional Government of Aragon; Marcelino Iglesias; Mr State Secretary; mayors, Mr Mayor of Albalate de Cinca and other people who have been here with us; Mr Chairman of the General Community of Irrigation Users of the Aragon and Catalonia Canal; Mr Secretary-General for Agriculture, Farming, Fisheries and Food of the Regional Government of Catalonia, public officials, ladies and gentlemen,

The people of Spain can feel legitimately proud of the fact that we have a farming sector of recognised excellence throughout the world and, at the same time, we are well aware that the smooth progress of this sector, which is key for growth and job creation, depends to a great extent on such a basic and fundamental asset as water. From this perspective, I will add my own words to those we have already heard here this morning: this inauguration of the San Salvador Reservoir is great news.

Water is a valuable and scarce resource that we are called on to manage with great responsibility for the benefit of everyone. And as a result of the water in this reservoir, which has a useful capacity, as you know, of 126 cubic hectometres, the impact will be huge. No fewer than 37 municipalities in Aragon and Catalonia, as well as 11,000 farming operations with a total surface area of over 100,000 hectares, will benefit from this project.

Only by announcing these figures can we have an idea of the magnitude and repercussions of this project, which is one of the most influential actions in terms of water carried out in Spain in recent times and, of course, a key infrastructure for the development of the regions of Aragon and Catalonia.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In terms of State policy, which I understand water policy to be, or at least always should be, planning, efficient management and dialogue with everyone are of tremendous importance. And that is what we have tried to carry through since the very first day of this term of office. But, above all, it is important to execute and implement infrastructures that allow us to share this source of wealth which water represents.

As can be seen at this San Salvador Reservoir, our determination, that of the government, of the General Community of Irrigators of the Aragon and Catalonia Canal, as well as of the regional governments involved, is bearing fruit.

In terms of water management, as in so many other fields, dialogue, a desire for consensus and common sense are capable of paving the way for projects that benefit us all. With this reservoir, which benefits Huesca, Lleida, Aragon and Catalonia, the principle of solidarity, that unites us all, can be patently seen. We are all called on to be supportive because at the same time we are all the recipients of the solidarity of others.

Ladies and gentlemen,

During this term of office, we have given an unprecedented boost to the commitment of the Water Pact of Aragon. We are talking about more than 70 works completed. This San Salvador Reservoir of course, but we have also made a great deal of progress on such important other projects as those of Almudévar, Biscarrués, Mularroya and Yesa.

We are well aware to what extent the issue of water, as the renowned figure from Huesca quoted here, Joaquín Costa, saw all too well, is a vital issue for the people of Aragon. That is why we have tried not to cut corners in including this in the General State Budget and we have done this in a situation, as you are all aware, of great budgetary difficulty.

A great project such as the San Salvador Reservoir has required a major commitment to investment and for 2016 alone we have allocated more than 120 million euros in different actions within the Water Pact. We are doing this because this all leads to more and better development for rural populations. We are doing this because it leads to better protection and sustainability of the environment, as mentioned here earlier; because it offers new opportunities and horizons for the work of our farmers, and because irrigated agriculture stabilises the population, attracts industry, helps organise the land and maintains the rural space, of which we are proud. In short, it generates growth, stimulates employment and contributes to creating the future for everyone.

In the earlier speeches, I have listened to some speakers talking about the importance of the agricultural sector and they are right. Sometimes we hear clichés and it is normal, both here and in other places around the world, I suppose. I have heard people say, and there are still people capable of repeating this, that Spain is a country that fundamentally lives from tourism and at certain times, now less, from construction. But, when we see what the Spanish export sector is doing, we realise that Spain, fortunately, is much more than just these two sectors, albeit very important ones.

We have gone through a very serious economic crisis, the worst in decades in our country and it has been the export sector - domestic consumption is now going well, as indeed is domestic investment - that has been decisive in the start of our economic recovery. And when we see what Spain exports, we can see that the leading export sector, by a long way, is that of capital goods, but that second place is disputed between the automotive sector, which is very important, as you are all aware - also here in Aragon, but in other areas of Spain is also of capital importance - the chemical products, the farming sector and the agri-food industry, which has come on leaps and bounds in recent times, and which has greatly helped Spanish exports, having consequently greatly helped the economic recovery of our country.

This is a sector with a bright future, and this is not a statement I am making from an economic point of view, but rather from the point of view of pure common sense. There are increasingly more people in the world, it is becoming increasingly easier to export, because there has been a great deal of progress in technology, and the standard of living is increasingly on the rise. That is why a good farming sector, a good livestock and agri-food sector undoubtedly has a bright future in our country and this assuredly deserves the support and backing of all our public authorities.

So, ladies and gentlemen, with all these premises, the government wants to provide this sector, and fundamentally on the issue of water, with the essential participation, I insist, essential, of the private sector. Here the Community of Irrigators, and not long ago I met with one of them in Lleida, plays a very important role. In this regard, I would like to thank, as everyone else has done, the General Community of Irrigators of the Aragon and Catalonia Canal for its involvement in the construction of this reservoir, and I would also like to acknowledge the presence and cooperation of the former Regional Presidents of Aragon, who are present here today.

With over 100 years of existence, the example of solidarity of the irrigators of Aragon and Catalonia is a stimulus and, above all, a model for everyone. Along these lines, we want to continue making progress, each one supported by the others, to continue providing solutions for the demand for water and, in general, for all the demands from society.

Sometimes, public authorities are asked to do more than they can. A country makes progress if its governments and other public authorities are capable of taking decisions, if they have a vision of the future and if they think that you must govern by looking at the medium and long term, and not only at the short term. But public authorities - like anyone else who pushes through a human work - have their limitations and a country is great because the people are great and society is great. Hence, the private sector, society, business leaders, entrepreneurs and workers must also have a great deal to say in terms of what they want the country to be.

Mr President of the Regional Government of Aragon,

I have listened carefully to your words. I would like to offer you, as is my obligation and as I choose to do, my maximum interest in us collaborating. You mentioned an issue of great importance, which is the issue of regional financing. You don't need to convince me of this. I voted, in the Lower House of Parliament, against the model of regional financing that is currently in force. I did that and I made various speeches against this model. Unfortunately, in the end, I believe time has proved me right. I would like to say a couple of things on this issue.

Regardless of whether we have to implement a new model of financing at the start of 2016, there is something that is very important for everyone and that we must not forget: a country can spend, it can improve public services, it can build infrastructures such as this one that we are inaugurating today, it can build roads, it can build railways, it can better care for people and it can improve its education system if it has sufficient public resources to do so.

Spain has gone through a terrible economic crisis, as I said before, the worst in decades in this country. It brought consequences of all kinds, and it brought one that affected all the public authorities - in just two years we lost 70 billion euros in tax revenues. Seventy billion euros, as you all know, is a lot of money. And we lost this because activity dropped off and because employment dropped off, and the main goal for this term of office had to be recovering this economic activity, recovering these jobs and overcoming the crisis.

Fortunately, the resources of the public authorities are now on the rise. This year, between them, the autonomous regions will receive almost 10 billion euros more; but not as a result of a unilateral or whimsical decision of the government, but rather due to a perfectly understandable reason and this reason is that activity has increased, employment is also starting to grow and this has led to greater tax revenue for the public authorities.

So, the first priority must be pushing on with economic recovery, because that means more resources for everyone: for the government of the nation, for regional governments, for local councils, and, above all, for our citizens. And this must also be accompanied, in fact, by a new model of regional financing, which I hope will receive the support of everyone, with good intentions and without bickering amongst ourselves, and which I hope we can approve unanimously this time round during the first half of 2016.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Once again, thank you all very much. Earlier I forgot to mention the Members of the Upper and Lower Houses, and indeed many other people who have accompanied us here today. They have also been decisive through their support in Parliament for us to be able to inaugurate this infrastructure. I hope everything goes very well.

Thank you.