"The Euro must move towards fiscal union, with a common Budget, a Finance Minister and Eurobonds", says Mariano Rajoy

Brussels (Belgium)

At the press conference he offered in Brussels after the ordinary autumn meeting of the European Council, Mariano Rajoy pointed to the "special importance" given to the question of migration. The President of the Government positively assessed the emphasis contained in the conclusions on the external dimension of the phenomenon and, in particular, on dialogue and cooperation with countries of origin and transit.

"This approach, which Spain has always advocated, is proving to be effective, as can be seen by the reduction in migratory flows throughout the European Union by almost 70%, he declared. Mariano Rajoy underlined that since last year, the EU's maritime operations in the Mediterranean sea, which Spain has deployed significant resources to, have saved 155,000 people.

The leaders of the EU also advocated increasing contributions to the Trust Fund for Africa, which seeks to combat the deep-rooted causes of immigration, by creating economic opportunities, particularly for young people, and fighting illegal immigration networks. In this regard, Spain will shortly increase its contribution to this fund, announced Mariano Rajoy.

Digital agenda

Consejo EuropeoAnother of the main issues addressed at the European Council was digitalisation which, in the opinion of the President of the Government is "a key issue for the competitiveness of our economies and the well-being of our citizens".

In terms of the recent Summit in Tallinn, Spain presented, together with France, Germany and Italy, a document on the three basic cornerstones for action in this field, which Mariano Rajoy brought up in his speech: establishing balanced rules - including in relation to taxation - boosting the digital agenda in such areas as infrastructures and training, and guaranteeing a secure digital environment.

Agreements with MERCOSUR and Mexico

During the working dinner held on Thursday evening, the Council participants debated trade. Mariano Rajoy stressed its importance for economic growth and job creation, as well as the usefulness of treaties in this field.

"My government advocates the European Union adopting ambitious and balanced treaties that extend European standards to the rest of the world. In particular, the treaty with MERCOSUR is a priority for Spain, as well as an updated treaty with Mexico", he explained.

Security and defence

Consejo EuropeoAs on previous occasions, the issues of security and defence figured in the Council meetings, which on this occasion focused on permanent structured cooperation, something that could be established "in the coming months", stressed the President of the Government. Spain, he added, has been among the most active countries in the definition of this cooperation since the outset, "and seeks to form a part of it".

The Council meeting also tackled "the nuclear proliferation crisis caused by the irresponsible conduct of the North Korean authorities", reported Mariano Rajoy. The leaders of the EU strongly urged this country to meet the obligations imposed on it by the UN Security Council and to abandon its nuclear and ballistic programmes.

Future of Europe

The leaders of the EU also debated the future of Europe at the working breakfast held on Friday morning. "We need more and better integration", stated Mariano Rajoy, who expressed his conviction that "The European Union has been, is and will continue to be a primordial source of well-being for its citizens".

For the President of the Government, a "fundamental challenge" for the future of Europe is the reform of the Economic and Monetary Union. "We must ensure that the Euro works well and that its benefits filter down to everyone". Mariano Rajoy advocated "making progress towards fiscal union, with a common Budget, a Finance Minister and Eurobonds".

Brexit negotiations

EFEOn another note, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Theresa May, and the EU's Chief Negotiator, Michel Barnier, reported to the Council on Friday on the state of Brexit negotiations. "We welcomed the recent progress made in these negotiations of key importance", remarked Mariano Rajoy.

The leaders will make a new assessment in December "to determine whether it is possible to start tackling the framework for future relations and the final transitional measures". The priority, insisted Mariano Rajoy, "must be the rights and interests of individuals".

Wildfires in Spain and Portugal

The President of the Government remarked that the Council raised the possibility of activating the European Solidarity Fund to contribute to repairing the damage caused by the wildfires that recently affected Portugal and Spain. The Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, and Mariano Rajoy, agreed to work together to this end.

"Without prejudice to the measures that each one may adopt in his own country as and when he sees fit and opportune - we will do this next week - the two prime ministers will do everything possible to ensure we receive help to tackle the devastation caused by these terrible fires", he pointed out.

Recover legality in Catalonia

When asked about the absence of the issue of Catalonia at the meetings of the European Council, Mariano Rajoy recalled that the agenda for the meeting is established by its President. "This issue did not appear on the agenda, and I agree that it should not be there because this is a national affair, a Spanish affair", he argued.

Consejo Europeo"Quite another matter", he added, "is that it also affects and concerns European leaders, and what everyone has done is support Spain's position, which is quite logical, because the European Union is an integration process and is now our home". The President of the Government argued that the EU is based on certain basic principles that have been attacked by the authorities in Catalonia, such as the supremacy of the law and the rule of law.

As regards the application of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, the President of the Government highlighted that the measures to be announced on Saturday after the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers have already been agreed with the PSOE [Spanish Socialist Workers' Party] and Ciudadanos.

"The only thing I want to say at this time is that the fundamental goal of these measures is to return to compliance with the law, because you cannot have one part of the country where the law is not applied, where the law does not exist, and, at the same time, return to a situation of institutional normality", he explained. The President of the Government underlined that the opposition MPs in the regional parliament cannot exercise their duties because no control sessions of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia have been held for the last month and a half.

Mariano Rajoy argued that the government has always been open to dialogue with Catalonia, and has made "many attempts to reach a satisfactory solution" and has been "tremendously prudent", but what it cannot accept is for the law to be broken. "And the law provides a solution to this situation, which is contained in Article 155 of the Constitution, which is also contained in many other European constitutions for situations of serious harm to the national general interest", he remarked.

Non official translation