Mariano Rajoy assesses the release from prison of Leopoldo López as a step in the right direction

Hamburg (Germany)

After taking part in the G-20 in Hamburg, the President of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, expressed his satisfaction at the release from prison of the Venezuelan opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who has spent the last three years in prison. "We view this decision as a step in the right direction, a first but very important step, which should represent the start of a process of national reconciliation and the release of all political prisoners", argued the President of the Government.

The situation in Venezuela was precisely the subject of attention in the debates at the G-20 Summit, pointed out Mariano Rajoy, who stressed that the Presidents of Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, as well as he himself, expressed their concern "at the direction things have taken there. We all agree on calling for a democratic, peaceful and negotiated solution there, the necessary first step of which must be the release of all political prisoners and the calling of free and democratic elections".

Referendum in Catalonia

As regards the situation in Catalonia, Mariano Rajoy did not want "to get ahead of events or hypothesise", but repeated that no referendum will be authorised "firstly, because it is absolutely illegal and hence the president of the Government cannot break the law knowingly and, secondly, because it does not fall to him but rather to the Lower House of Parliament and then to the people of Spain as a whole".

The President of the Government stressed that the referendum "is not supported by any country in the international community" and called for "common sense and reflection from certain people who are causing great harm and generating division by proposing something that is absolutely ridiculous".

In response to the words from the President of the Regional Government of Catalonia, who stressed that "the Government of Spain is capable of doing whatever it takes to stop the referendum", Mariano Rajoy asserted that he will do "exactly the opposite of what Mr Puigdemont is doing, which is overruling the Spanish Constitution and the law. Hence, I am not capable of doing anything I choose, I am only capable of doing what I am permitted to do at law, which is positive for defending the general interests of the majority of the citizens of Catalonia and of our whole country".

"In this regard, it would be highly desirable to see the Regional Government of Catalonia begin to follow the law and not systematically break it. That is the nuance between the positions and actions of one side and the other", concluded the President of the Government.

Fight against terrorism

According to Mariano Rajoy, during the debate on terrorism at the start of the G-20 Summit, the existence of a consensus was observed based on three fundamental cornerstones: "The need for concerted global counter-terrorism action, cooperation between countries, the fight against terrorism financing and the prevention of radicalisation, particularly over the Internet".

The President of the Government also highlighted that the Hamburg Declaration contains, upon a Spanish initiative, "the recognition and support of victims of terrorism - a key principle in the fight against terrorism. This leading role by the victims is, above all, a moral principle, but it is also a decisive element in creating an alternative narrative to that of the terrorists", stressed Mariano Rajoy.

Immigration

The President of the Government thanked the German Presidency of the G-20 for the acknowledgement it made of Spain's extensive experience in the matter of immigration, evidenced by the proposal for Mariano Rajoy to make the opening speech on this matter. In this regard, the statement made by the G-20 contains several principles that Spain has been applying for some time now, pointed out Mariano Rajoy: "the need to create economic and life opportunities in countries of origin and the need to fight human trafficking networks through cooperation with the countries of origin and transit". Mariano Rajoy also stressed the importance of guaranteeing the safe, swift and humanitarian return of those people who are not entitled to remain in the territory of a State and the importance of their integration into host countries.

Trade and digitalisation

During these meetings, a clear message was sent out "in favour of trade and investment as drivers of growth, productivity, innovation and, above all, the creation of employment and development and also a clear measure against protectionism", stated Mariano Rajoy.

All of this is in line "with the economic policy we have been applying in Spain for more than five years now and which has led us to head up the main economies in the Eurozone in terms of economic growth", said the President of the Government.

On this point, the President of the Government stressed that Spain is working in a coordinated fashion in such areas as "the rollout of high-capacity networks, the development of digital platforms and the digital economy in general and the protection of certain goods and rights in the digital environment, such as the protection of intellectual property and also consumer protection, the rights of minors and the right to privacy".

According to the President of the Government, the digital transformation of industry and services is a key issue for the development of a country in order not to be left behind and to continue generating growth and jobs.

As regards climate change, Mariano Rajoy expressed a reasonable degree of satisfaction at the results achieved. "The statement contains the maintenance of the group commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in which clean emissions obviously play a very important role. We have taken note of the United States' withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, but the rest of the countries that make up the G-20 have reaffirmed our commitment to the agreement and we have acknowledged this as something irreversible", he claimed.