"Spain commits to Brazil", says Mariano Rajoy

Sao Paulo (Brazil)

Before the public officials and business leaders present at the inauguration of the Business Meeting held in Sao Paulo, Mariano Rajoy highlighted the importance of Brazil in the geopolitical and economic panorama of the region and also as one of the great emerging powers at a global level.

"Brazil is having to face a tough economic situation, but it is a country with great capacity for recovery", said Mariano Rajoy, who encouraged the Government of Brazil to overcome this challenge through reforms that increase competitiveness and praised "the determination and courage" with which it is acting.

The President of the Government recalled that Spain has also had to tackle an unprecedented crisis in recent years. "Thanks to the ambitious reformist agenda we implemented in 2012, with the adoption of measures that were not always easy, we have managed to turn things around", he stated. Among the actions that have made this "radical change" possible, Mariano Rajoy quoted the reduction of the public deficit by more than half since 2011, the clean-up of the financial sector, the labour reform and the energy reform.

Spain is growing without getting into debt

Pool Moncloa/ Diego CrespoThe result of these policies, argued the President of the Government, is that "Spain is growing and creating jobs and it is doing so with a more balanced and sustainable model". The Spanish economy, he explained, will grow by at least 2.7% in 2017, half a million jobs are being created each year and the weighting of exports in the national GDP is higher than that of countries like France and the United Kingdom.

"Unlike what happened in other periods, the Spanish economy is growing without getting into debt", stated the President of the Government, who added that the transformation of the business fabric and culture has been key in this process. In an increasingly global and competitive world, he pointed out, Spanish companies, including small- and medium-sized companies, are increasingly aware of the opportunities offered by the foreign trade sector.

Brazil, priority partner

Against this backdrop, stressed Mariano Rajoy, "Brazil is and will remain a priority partner for Spain". It is already the second largest trading partner in the region and the third largest recipient of Spanish investment in the world; however, there is still room to "step up" economic and trade relations "in the coming years", particularly in such sectors as infrastructures, telecommunications, energy, the automotive industry and air traffic.

"Spain is committed to Brazil", pointed out Mariano Rajoy, who then highlighted the "great attraction" that Spain offer for Brazilian companies and investors, "since it offers opportunities in an open and competitive climate".

Broad yet balanced trade agreements

In his speech, the President of the Government reiterated his government's support for the trade agreement between the European Union and the countries that make up MERCOSUR. "I believe that this agreement is now closer than ever and, consequently, we must speed up the negotiations to manage to close a political agreement this year", he stated.

This trade agreement will improve the lives of citizens on both sides of the Atlantic and will allow a "positive message" to be sent out to the international community on the benefits of the market and of opening up to foreign trade, he argued. "Broad, balanced and mutually beneficial trade agreements are the best instruments for guaranteeing growth and global prosperity", he claimed.

Agenda of meetings

Pool MoncloaFollowing the inauguration of the Business Meeting, organised with the collaboration of the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade (Spanish acronym: ICEX), Mariano Rajoy met with participating Spanish companies and sponsors.

At the start of the working day, the President of the Government also met with the Governor of the state of Sao Paolo, Geraldo Alckmin, and with representatives of the Spanish community in the city.

Following these events, the President of the Government of Spain concluded his visit to the Federative Republic of Brazil, which began on 23 April; on Tuesday, 25 April he will travel to Montevideo to start his visit to the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.