Mariano Rajoy presides over signing of agreement between Government of Spain and social stakeholders on Extraordinary Activation Programme for Employment

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

Mariano Rajoy highlighted the fact that the Extraordinary Activation Programme for Employment, the development of which would not be possible without "the indispensable collaboration of the regional governments" is being allocated a 16% increase for the active employment policies and a 25% increase for the resources transferred to the regional authorities in the 2015 General State Budget. The programme's goal, explained the President of the Government, is two-fold: firstly, "to help all those people dealing with a very delicate situation"; and, secondly, "to help ensure that these public policies are successful and efficient".

Economic growth and unemployment reduction

After stating that the economic recovery allows us to say that, in many respects, "the crisis is now a thing of the past", the President of the Government recalled that an economy shrinking by 1.2% - as was the case last year - and one that is growing at over 2% - "as we expect to be the case next year" - are hardly the same thing. Neither can that be said, added Mariano Rajoy, for "unemployment rising month after month and, over that same period, the number of people out of work having fallen by over 500,000".

Nonetheless, Mariano Rajoy stressed that "the economic recovery will not be complete until such time as it is felt in every household, by everyone who is looking for work and in the pockets of each and every Spanish citizen". Because, he added, "we must be aware that neither has the recovery reached everyone, nor everyone equally".

Special funding for joining the labour market

Pool MoncloaMariano Rajoy explained it was necessary to make "additional efforts" and that those efforts had to start "by focusing on those encountering the greatest difficulty in joining the labour market", those people who "have been unemployed for a long time and have family responsibilities".

The President of the Government said that approximately 450,000 people will receive special funding to obtain "effective integration" into the labour market because this is not funding that "only serves to relieve cases of severe hardship".

Furthermore, Mariano Rajoy said that, "over these last few years, the people of Spain have made every kind of effort there is to be made". Now that "we can start using the word 'hope' based on tangible results, we have an additional obligation: to be able to talk about hope for everyone", including those finding it hardest to achieve social and labour integration, said Mariano Rajoy.

Gratitude for the social stakeholders

The President of the Government once again defended the structural reforms undertaken recently because they have helped "lay solid foundations for the future", "ensure sustained and stable growth in that future" and "create jobs in a sustained and stable fashion".

At the signing ceremony, the President of the Government publicly expressed gratitude for "the responsible commitment from the social stakeholders on issues of a fundamental nature, both in the economic recovery and the struggle to create jobs".

Before the intervention of Mariano Rajoy, speeches were given by the President of the Spanish Confederation of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CEPYME), Antonio Garamendi, the General Secretary of the General Union of Workers trade union (UGT), Cándido Méndez, the President of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE), Juan Rosell, and the General Secretary of the Workers' Commissions trade union (CCOO), Ignacio Fernández Toxo.