Mariano Rajoy expresses full support for EU-US Free Trade Treaty

Brussels (Belgium)

Mariano Rajoy attended a meeting in Brussels on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the European Union and the United States. The event was also attended by the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, David Cameron; Italy, Matteo Renzi; Poland, Ewa Kopac; Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt; and Finland, Alexander Stubb, as well as business leaders from various European countries.

At the end of the meeting, the President of the Government said that Spain has always backed the Free Trade Treaty, as he told the President of the United States, Barack Obama, during his visit to the White House in January and at the last meeting of the G-20 in Brisbane (Australia).

In his opinion, signing this treaty will benefit exports and job creation. In this regard, he recalled that Spanish exports to the United States between January and October 2014 grew by 15% on the same period last year.

Juncker Plan and tax fraud

The President of the Government said that the European Council will debate the plan presented by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, aimed at mobilising 315 billion euros to reactivate the European economy. "This will not be the place for discussing projects, neither which projects will be included or which will not nor how they will be financed; it will be a general debate", he clarified.

Mariano Rajoy went on to say that, in principle, talks are focused on ensuring these projects affect more than one country, have a point of return and enjoy both public and private financing. "It is a process that formally starts now and will end, we hope, in June, which is when it will come into force", he said.

The Council will also discuss the request made by the Government of Spain to the new President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, to step up the fight against tax fraud. Mariano Rajoy will ask his European partners to adopt measures aimed at preventing "certain companies, especially major multinational firms that have profits in various EU countries, from transferring those profits, in one way or another, to a country where corporate income tax is lower". "The profits obtained in one country should be taxed in that same country", he stressed.

Relations between the United States and Cuba

EFEThe President of the Government said that the resumption of relations between Cuba and the United States is encouraging news. "It is always better for there to be diplomatic relations and dialogue instead of two countries living with their backs to one another, and we hope and strongly wish for this step to lead to an improved level of well-being for the people of Cuba and improvements in democratic standards in the country", he said.

Furthermore, he explained that the policy adopted by the Government of Spain with regard to Cuba has not changed. "We would like there to be democracy, human rights and progress for the Cuban people. Therefore, everything that leads us down that path will undoubtedly be useful", he said.

The President of the Government also said that the resignation of the State's Attorney General, Eduardo Torres-Dulce, stems from "exclusively personal reasons" that must be respected at all times. "All I want to do at this time is thank him for his work, dedication, efforts and sound management", he said.