Moncloa Palace, Madrid
At the press briefing following their meeting, Mariano Rajoy said that this served "to once again ratify the privileged dialogue and friendship" that unite Italy and Spain.
The President of the Government of Spain, who expressed his condolences to Paolo Gentiloni over the avalanche that killed 29 people in the Italian town of Farindola, remarked that both countries are "European partners, friends and Mediterranean countries" and share "challenges, involvement and important ties of all kinds", from historical and cultural ties to tourism, and trade and investment.
The President of the Government announced that the annual bilateral summits will be resumed - these were unable to be held recently because of their respective domestic situations - and institutional elements of this relationship will be stepped up. In this regard, he pointed out that on 10 February, the President of the Italian Republic, Sergio Mattarella, will also visit Spain.
Coordination through the European Union
On another note, Mariano Rajoy underlined the close coordination between Spain and Italy through the European Union, both at the European Councils and at informal summits. The visit by Paolo Gentiloni, he explained, has precisely allowed them to prepare for the Summit of Southern EU Countries, which will take place in Lisbon on Saturday, which will also be attended by their counterparts from Portugal, France, Greece, Malta and Cyprus to analyse the "complex challenges" they are facing as European and Mediterranean countries.
Pool Moncloa / Diego CrespoHe included the migratory phenomenon among these challenges, "in our shared condition as countries with southern EU borders and through cooperation with countries of origin and transit". He also mentioned combating terrorism through the use of all the instruments available under the rule of law, the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, the common security and defence policy and the boost to economic growth and job creation.
"Prime Minister Gentiloni and I fully agree that the most effective way to tackle these challenges is by strengthening our common European integration project; Europe has been and will continue to be the primary source of well-being for our societies, declared Mariano Rajoy.
Rome Summit
The two Prime Ministers tackled the preparation for another two events that seek to boost the European project at their meeting at Moncloa Palace: the Valletta Summit in Malta on 3 February and the Rome Summit on 25 March. Mariano Rajoy offered the Spanish Government's collaboration in ensuring that the meeting in the Italian capital, which coincides with the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of the European Economic Community, manages to push through "measures that strengthen our capabilities to tackle the concerns of all European citizens".
Other issues addressed at the meeting between Mariano Rajoy and Paolo Gentiloni include the situations in Libya and Syria, together with relations with Russia against the backdrop of the conflict with Ukraine, and they also exchanged impressions on the new United States Administration.
Responses to the media
As regards whether the Governments of Spain and Italy intend to make any form of adjustment to respond to the request from the European Commission to correct their public accounts, Mariano Rajoy responded that "the European Commission must concern itself with ensuring that the rules are complied with, which means our fiscal commitments, and we must help them", but "this is compatible with having sufficient guile" to generate economic growth and jobs in our countries, because this helps reduce the public deficit.
Pool Moncloa / Diego CrespoHe pointed out that we all intend to meet our public debt and deficit commitments: "Rules are there to be met and people are there to see that they are met intelligently".
As regards whether the Government of Spain will have a Budget for this year, , President of the Government Rajoy maintained that he trusts hw will be able to present a draft Budget "by the end of March at the latest". To achieve that, he said, work is being done on a priority basis with those parties that backed the ceiling on spending. There has been contact with Ciudadanos and with the Canary Island Coalition and we will try to negotiate with the Basque Nationalist Party and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, he remarked.
As regards the crisis between the United States and Mexico over the construction of a wall on the border between the two countries, Mariano Rajoy expressed his conviction that "wisdom, sanity and common sense will prevail".
Pool Moncloa/Diego Crespo