​Mariano Rajoy claims that government's economic policy "has led to the recovery of more than two million jobs"

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

The Spokesperson for the Socialist Group, Margarita Robles, asked in the Lower House after the situation of the unemployed over the age of 55. In this regard, the President of the Government committed, with the agreement of the regional governments, to "improving active employment policies in order to specifically foster the return to the job market of the long-term unemployed and those over the age of 55". However, on this point, he described the fact that there are 3,108,700 workers over the age of 55 at present in Spain, which is a rise of 669,000 on the figure for 2012, as "positive".

The President of the Government recalled that Spain "underwent the worst economic crisis in decades, with five straight years of negative economic growth", during which time more than three million jobs were shed.

Pool Moncloa/Cesar P.SendraHe explained that, thanks to the decisions taken since then, "things are now going much better" and that "more than 600,000 jobs are being created each year". He added that the government's economic policy "has worked" since "it has allowed more than two million jobs to be recovered already" in "all autonomous regions, in all sectors, in all groups and in all age brackets".

For that reason, President of the Government Rajoy stated that in order "to bed down the economic recovery", it is necessary "to maintain the government's economic policy".

During his speech, as he did in the Upper House on Tuesday, 12 September, Mariano Rajoy thanked the Socialist Group for the support they have given the government both in the fight against terrorism and regarding the situation in Catalonia. He pointed out that "this is a sensible and reasonable position" as is only right and proper "for the PSOE" [Spanish Socialist Workers' Party].

Re-structuring of Spanish financial system

The representative of the Unidos Podemos-En Comú-En Marea Group, Pablo Iglesias, enquired after the bank bailout. The President of the Government stressed that, in the years 2011-2012, the government had to take some "tough decisions". Among others, "we had to re-structure some financial institutions" and "recapitalise others".

He added that a similar process also took place in Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Italy, while other countries, such as Greece, Ireland and Portugal, allocated 25% of their GDP to the bank bailout. Mariano Rajoy stressed that the bank re-structuring in Spain was carried out "transparently, with the backing of its European partners and international bodies".

Pool Moncloa/César P.Sendra

After explaining that "a healthy financial system is essential for the economy to function well, to ensure investment and to create jobs", he added that the alternative would have been "bankruptcy" because no credit would have been available and the economic recovery would have been impossible, depositors would have lost their savings - 490 billion euros - and workers would have lost their jobs.

In short, Mariano Rajoy stated that "this was a very positive decision", that was made "transparently" and "with the backing of our European partners". "Spain did not go bankrupt" and "we have created a great many jobs and have now enjoyed four straight years of economic growth".

Constitutional reform

In response to Albert Rivera, from the Ciudadanos Group, who enquired after a possible constitutional reform (included in the investiture agreement between the two political formations, the President of the Government expressed his "willingness" to commence dialogue, although he pointed out that "the priority" at this time is "to defend the Constitution" against "those who wish to tear it up".

Mariano Rajoy underlined that, at this time, there is an attempt "to end our national sovereignty, the principle of legality and the rule of law, which are the very cornerstones of our constitutional text". He added that "they even want to invent a parallel legality to the existing one", as we saw a few days ago in the Regional Parliament of Catalonia.

The President of the Government explained that constitutional texts are not "unchangeable" but are "designed to stay". That is the case in France, Germany, Italy and the United States. At any event, he added, a constitutional reform should be proposed "with rigour and seriously", and not "be a mere whim", since "the main cornerstones of the Spanish Constitution already exist".

Non official translation