"Our aim is for Greece to stay in the Euro", says Mariano Rajoy

Upper House of Parliament, Madrid

During his speech at the government control session in the Upper House, Mariano Rajoy declared that the Spanish Government's intention regarding Greece is exactly the same as that of the European Commission, the European Central Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the rest of the countries that make up the European Council.

This was the response offered by the President of the Government to the spokesperson for the Basque Parliamentary Group, Jokin Bildarratza, who asked him if a plan exists in the event that the talks between the EU and Greece do not prosper. "The plan is to reach an agreement with the Greek Government and for Greece to remain in the Euro, to pay out the amounts pending under the second programme, for the European Central Bank to continue with its actions and for Greece to commit to reducing its public deficit, its debt and to undertake structural reforms that enable it to grow and create jobs".

Mariano Rajoy pointed out that the difference between Greece and Spain is that Spain is not threatened by a bailout, nor is there talk of whether there will be a first or second rate Euro because our reforms have been undertaken and it has the economy that is enjoying the most growth and creating the most jobs in Europe.

The President of the Government highlighted that Europe has been supportive of Greece and it wishes to remain so. In this regard, he recalled that Greece received a loan from Europe of 225 billion euros, equating to 90% of its GDP, of which Spain contributed 26 billion euros.

He also explained that the new Greek Government "refused to meet the conditions agreed in the past, announced that it would halt the reforms undertaken, requested the 7.2 billion euros pending under the second programme, in other words, more money but without strings attached, because it said that it needed them, and moreover, it wanted part of the debt to be removed".

According to Mariano Rajoy, the solution lies in Greece committing to policies that allow it to grow and create jobs. "Yesterday, Greece did a volte face on its proposals and that is why there will be a meeting of the Eurogroup tomorrow. I hope that this meeting will be positive, and I hope that Greece stays in the Euro".

Catalonia

Pool MoncloaMariano Rajoy denied that his government has undertaken anti-Catalan policies, as described by the Member of the Upper House for CiU [Convergence and Unity] Josep Lluís Cleries. The President of the Government argued that when he came to power, "Spain and Catalonia were on the verge of bankruptcy and a bailout, but now they are not; every possible imbalance existed, but now they don´t, and competitiveness has improved". Moreover, he pointed out that jobs were being lost back then whereas now they are being created, including in Catalonia.

The President of the Government added that Catalonia was shedding jobs at a rate of 9.2% per annum, whereas it is now creating them at a rate of 7.6%. Moreover, it currently services its debts to the State at a rate of zero whereas previously it was paying 7.75%.

After outlining the State's investments in this region during this term of office, Mariano Rajoy stated that "I will defend national sovereignty because I believe in it and because I believe that whatever Spain should be is something that all the people of Spain should decide on and not just a few of them. And that does not mean I am anti-Catalan, that is simply upholding the law, the Constitution and the interests of the people as a whole":

"To be anti-Catalan means dividing people, to be anti-Catalan is to sow dissent, to be anti-Catalan is to force people to choose between being Catalan and being Spanish and European when you can be all three things at once and that is greatly enriching", he concluded.

Media

Pool MoncloaAs regards whether the media is a problem for the government, an issue on which the Socialist Spokesperson, Óscar López, asked after, the President of the Government underlined that the main problem he has had to face during this term of office has been resolving the "tremendous chaos" in which the country found itself.

"That is the real problem we have been facing in the last four years; it is not a question of the media, as you state. You left Spain in the worst economic crisis in decades; you left Spain on the verge of bankruptcy; you left Spain on the verge of a bailout; you left Spain with all the economic imbalances possible; you left Spain in recession, unemployment increased with 3.4 million Spaniards losing their jobs thanks to you and your labour legislation", he argued.

The President of the Government acknowledged that there are still a lot of things to do, but that there is no longer any threat of bankruptcy or a bailout; Spain can find funding at a reasonable price; it has overcome the imbalances; it is growing more than the European average; last year 440,000 jobs were created and this year another 600,000 will be created.