Press briefing by President of the Government after meeting with regional presidents

PEDRO SÁNCHEZ, President of the Government.

Good afternoon,

Each day, as heads of public authorities, we receive requests and demands from thousands of people. Calls which mostly express real and urgent needs. Demands and petitions that are made through anguish, concern or even anger, and which come from the same desire that inspires us all - a desire to overcome this situation as quickly and as well as possible.

We are all working so that not a single request falls upon deaf ears and goes unattended. We understand and take on each of these. We understand them and we share them, because this virus has a scenario in which there is no room for opposing interests.

Today, as you know, I have held a second meeting with the regional presidents and I wanted to inform you of the main issues we have addressed.

As you know, a week ago we gathered with the aim of coordinating, cooperating and continuing to collaborate as effectively and with as much solidarity as possible at an exceptional moment that is affecting everyone in our country, in Europe, and across the globe.

At that meeting we agreed to maintain, firstly, fluid and effective communication regarding all the events that are unfolding and to meet each week, as is being done by the different regional councillors with the cabinet ministers in their respective sectors, for example, health, education, economic affairs and the treasury; in short, all those aspects of collaboration and cooperation that are being discussed, not just at the level of the regional presidents but also on a regular basis in each sector, at which all those initiatives that can help control the spread of the virus can be shared; and also to strengthen the joint action of all the public authorities, together with private institutions, to tackle with the maximum guarantee the health, but also the socio-economic, consequences of this very serious public health emergency that is ravaging us; and convey to the whole of the Spanish public, which I feel is very important, the conviction that we can overcome this situation together.

Last week's meeting, and that of today, can strictly speaking be called State meetings. Meetings at which different tiers of government - national and regional - work together, and I stress "together", to cater for all the people of Spain.

From today's meeting, I would like to highlight two very important points: first, that we have reviewed in detail all the actions we are carrying out daily and in coordination between the Government of Spain and the regional governments. And the assessment of the impact of the measures being constantly applied by the competent delegate authorities in their respective areas of responsibility and which I set out in yesterday's press briefing. Second, to continue with unified action as the best weapon to defeat COVID-19 because we will only resist and go on to beat the virus on a united front.

The war being waged against the coronavirus is ongoing. That is why I want to notify you of five new Orders and one Decision in response to the health crisis, by way of continuation of the numerous decisions already approved: I can announce to you that, firstly, we will make available all the material and human resources of private care homes for the elderly to the regional governments. We already did this with the private health system, and today we are doing this with the private care homes. This decision seeks to alleviate the saturation of public care homes for the elderly and improve the living conditions for our elderly folk, and reduce their level of risk of contagion.

Secondly, and in accordance with what was agreed by the EU Member States at the European Council to halt the expansion of COVID-19, we will apply a temporary restriction on all non-essential travel from third countries for an initial period of 30 days. This measure will not apply to residents in the European Union and in the Schengen area who are heading to their place of residence; hence it will not apply to those Spaniards that wish to return home, to cross-border workers, to hauliers, to flight crew, to tourists that are coming back to their country of origin, to health professionals and to those who care for the elderly that are travelling to engage in these activities, to diplomatic personnel, or to those people who can justify this on grounds of force majeure.

Thirdly, I also want to announce that the armed forces will significantly step up their actions in three areas: transferring the sick, by land or by air from hospitals that are saturated to other nearby centres with healthcare resources available, should this prove necessary; consequently, guaranteeing the safety of these people; secondly, we want to guarantee critical infrastructures, thus freeing up the State law enforcement agencies to carry out other tasks; thirdly, implementing logistical support with military resources in four areas: the logistical transport of health material from abroad, the transport and distribution of health material within Spain, the transport of key personnel around the mainland and island regions, and the transport of Spanish nationals with difficulties returning to Spain.

Fourthly, I can announce to you that the government will provide resources to local authorities, local councils, municipalities, to distribute food, basic need products and pharmaceutical products to the homes of those people who most need this, primarily the elderly, such that they don't need to leave home to get them. This is a way of protecting them, facilitating their lives at home and ensuring they don't have to go out which increases their risk of contagion.

And fifthly, I can announce to you that, in the same we as we have opted for the domestic manufacture of health material and products, and medication, to combat the coronavirus, which I mentioned in my press briefing yesterday, we have decided to establish a strategic reserve of this type of products to fight future pandemics, should they take place.

And to end, a decision that I have notified to the regional presidents and subsequently also to the leaders of the different political parties, which is the announcement that the government will approve, as provided for in the Constitution, and after hearing out the scientific experts, an extension to the state of emergency throughout the country for a further15 days.

To that end, pursuant to Article 116 of our Constitution, which provides for the authorisation of the Lower House of Parliament to be able to continue with a state of emergency, the Council of Ministers will agree on Tuesday to request the extension of the state of emergency until 11 April.

During this situation, the government is complying, as it must, with the provisions of Constitutional Law 4/1981, of 1 June, and of Article 116 of the Constitution, which regulate the state of emergency, such that the social and democratic rule of law, which guarantees the rights and liberties as established in the Constitution, even in such an exceptional situation as this, are always guaranteed.

I am sure that the Lower House and the political forces that comprise its membership will understand the situation of national emergency we are in and support the extension to the state of emergency. It is essential to anticipate so as to defeat the virus.

I am well aware that this is a drastic measure, among the most drastic of our peer countries. I know that this is inconvenient for people to stay at home another 15 days, until 11 April, on lockdown, and that this greatly affects the lives of all those families watching this press briefing, but the experts agree that this is an effective measure in fighting the coronavirus.

As I said yesterday, and unfortunately this is indeed the case, the toughest period is approaching. The most difficult days are ahead of us which will test to the limit our material and moral capabilities. And also our mettle as a society.

That is why I wish to convey to you that I wish we had the power to do something extraordinary and that, by implementing this, we could return our lives to normal immediately. If only, but we don't. I humbly acknowledge our limitations, like the rest of the countries, to tackle this pandemic.

But we have each other as a society, as a community. We have the constant work, the scientific advice of the best professionals, whom I wish to pay tribute to and the absolute political determination to overcome this. We also have the conviction that we will achieve this; our only option is complete victory over the virus. And fortunately, we have some professionals and a health system that rate among the best in the world.

To defeat the virus we need to put the all the resources in our grasp at the service of the whole of the country, don't doubt that, so that this emergency is over as soon as possible, with the lowest possible cost in terms of human life, and also in terms of jobs and companies. And we are also working to increase these resources, as much as possible, in terms of both quantity and quality.

This emergency will be overcome with hard work, with sacrifice, with the full weight of the State thrown into this battle. And I can assure you that all these efforts and sacrifices are worthwhile to return as quickly as possible to our way of life.

So I would ask for responsibility and discipline. I repeat; I would ask for social and civic responsibility and discipline. We are going into the second week of the state of emergency. We will then have another two weeks of lockdown after next week. I know this will be very difficult, which is why we need social and civic responsibility. Because irresponsibility will cost lives. We now know things about the virus that we didn't before. For example, there are people who may show no symptoms but are carriers that can spread it. So, every time we take out the car, we may be endangering our own lives and those of others.

Every time we meet with friends, we are may be endangering our own lives and those of others.

Today, as I said yesterday, we know that leaving the bags of shopping on the doorstep of our parents or grandparents' house, and not kissing and hugging them is the best way to protect them. Resisting this hug is the guarantee of being able to hug them many times in the future.

That is why we are on lockdown; that is why you may not leave the city you live in to go to your second home. Because we cannot be sure whether we are taking this virus hundreds of kilometres away by making this trip.

We must warn people not to go shopping every day, because they are endangering their own lives and those of others.

Those who think they are beyond this situation and plan to carry on their lives as normal should be aware that they are acting as an ally to the virus and not as its vaccination.

Those who spread advice that runs counter to scientific authority are also allies of the virus.

Spreading fake news just to cause harm and confusion. Playing with people's emotions in such a critical, precarious situation by spreading messages of hate and confrontation, more so when done from a public platform, is one more threat on top of the virus.

I can assure you that both the government and the local and regional authorities are aware of the reality. And we are going through this with the same feelings as the public; with the same conviction and efforts as the public in terms of taking measures and living this first-hand; with the same concerns and the same courage; with the same desire to be useful and help the most needy.

With the same desire to be generous; with the same indignation towards those actions or words that attack our co-existence and common good.

The government is also aware of all this and of something more important - the psychological effects of confinement and of what it means to be stuck at home, counting the hours away. That is why I want to send out a message of encouragement and gratitude to the Spanish people. Because today's sacrifices will be tomorrow's rewards. Thank you for your understanding, for your patience, for your determination and for your generosity.

The greater the challenge, the greater the ambition must be to tackle this. Let's be ambitious to overcome this crisis.

Because in the last, difficult, week not only have we been capable of showing unity, but we have also seen the capacity we have to work together and cooperate to win this battle.

This crisis is testing us, it is true, but it is also bringing out the best of us as a country. Our solidarity and civic spirit, our profound sense of State and the tremendous potential of our institutions when they work together are all blooming.

This crisis is bringing out the best of Spain, and we are seeing that each day in many examples. In the concerts of support on the social media. In how university students are looking after children, and doing the shopping for those people at risk. In the hundreds of messages in lifts offering help to our elderly neighbours left by our exemplary young people, in all these families helping out other families. In the many psychologists who have made themselves available in case they are needed, particularly health workers and families struck down by the pandemic. In activities encouraged in the social media for children at home. In the initiative by several publishers to offer electronic books free of charge during the lockdown. In those police officers that visit hospitals with their sirens going to pay tribute to so many anonymous heroes. In those engineers who have got together to manufacture respirators with the utmost urgency. And in those sewing academies that have starting making face masks to offer hospitals.

We thank all of them for their collaboration in defeating the virus. And we applaud anyone, I won't tire of saying this, who stays at home. Staying at home these days is an example of patriotism and solidarity.

The coordination, collaboration and spontaneous action of so many individuals, of so many civil society institutions, is also an example for us, for public leaders.

When politics reflects the virtues of society, it grows and becomes more capable.

Defeating the virus is not a question of regions, of ideologies or of parties, although they are important. Representatives are not playing with their image or their reputation here; nor headlines in the local or international press.

This war is about something much more important - saving lives - the lives and health of parents, grandparents, friends, sons and daughters of everyone, and also our own.

I have asked for the same from the regional presidents as I have promised them, and which I impose on myself, which is coordination, collaboration and solidarity.

There is no room for selfishness in this situation.

As President of the Government of the Nation and commander-in-chief, my main task is to coordinate the actions to be developed by public institutions; not to replace them, but to harness the efficiency, usefulness and capacity of each public body and institution to the maximum, avoiding wasting time, resources and energy in managing the crisis.

As President of the Government of the Nation, I am also tasked with being a leader, who acts swiftly and decisively, as corresponds to the situation we face, with in-depth knowledge of the pressing needs and the resources available, and with profound recognition and respect for the competent authorities. That is what I stated to the regional presidents, and I have received their support and understanding.

We shall not waste any efforts in irrelevant subtleties or absurd suspicions. We can take away two key questions from this crisis: that our State model works for the purposes for which it was conceived and that this is optimal when action at each tier of government is geared towards collaboration instead of confrontation.

Each need we attend to, each problem we find a solution to, is one more step towards getting our lives back and rebuilding progress and the common good.

Respect for authority can come from fear, from obligation or from conviction. But our society should only take this last option - conviction - at this time. We are a democratic society of free men and women. What we do, locking ourselves up in our homes, is a democratic, rational decision, not designed to limit our freedom, but to preserve our foremost asset - life.

To conclude, I wish to reiterate my gratitude as President of the Government of Spain and that of all Spanish society to all the healthcare professionals, the State law enforcement agencies, shop workers, farmers, fishermen, cleaning staff, in short, all those who have stood up to attend to us and help us at this critical time. Thank you for doing your all and for exposing your lives to save the very heart of a country.

My thanks to all the Spanish people for your patience, those of you here and those of your abroad waiting to come home, whom we haven't forgotten.

We will overcome this situation. We will resist and come out on top, don't doubt it.

Thank you very much.

Q: AGENCIA EFE. Have you informed the leaders of the other political parties of the extension of the state of emergency? Who supports you or do you expect to support you? What complaints have regional presidents like Quim Torra and Isabel Díaz Ayuso made, who have been very critical of the government's handling of the crisis?

President of the Government: As regards the political leaders, I have spoken over recent weeks with all of them; I appeared before the Lower House last Wednesday, I seem to recall, to explain the reasons for the Royal Decree declaring the state of emergency. I received the support of all the parliamentary groups and their members and spokespersons, and consequently, I hope that this commitment they made then to always support the state of emergency for as long as this health emergency lasts will be echoed and that it will be ratified in the Lower House, even though this is a very tough measure. This is a very tough, very restrictive measure which we are asking Spanish society to uphold, not for 15 days but for a month. We hope that by taking this measure which is so drastic, so dramatic, so tough, which we are aware will have consequences on the co-existence of our families, this will help, as I said before, flatten the curve of the spread of the coronavirus. These are the three milestones we need to end up defeating this pandemic. Firstly, for the curve to flatten, to which end we need to take this type of drastic measure of extending the lockdown a further 15 days, to impose a total lockdown of one month on Spanish society, on 47 million people. It is very important for me to underline this, because the effort we are making will bear fruit above all if we all do our duty to this obligation we impose on ourselves as a society. And secondly, what I hope is that by taking this measure, we not only flatten the curve but start to see beyond that, and see in the near future that the number of people recovering is higher than the number of people hospitalised due to the infection of the coronavirus and that finally, in a prudential period of time, we can discover this vaccination that will protect us all and which will mean our future victory over this pandemic.

As regards support, I hope to receive, as I said before, the support of all the political forces. I call on their responsibility and I believe that if we have seen anything in this week it is that when politicians work together, when we talk and collaborate then we are very able and effective in achieving the common goals we set, to which end I hope to count on the support of the whole House when this Royal Decree is ratified.

And finally, as regards the approaches made by the different regional presidents, I can say these have been constructive, each with their own particular features, but with a shared desire among all of the regions to stop the pandemic and defeat the coronavirus as soon as possible.

Q: SER. There is a common request from all the regions for more health material; how and when will the government speed up the necessary purchases, specifically of respirators? Does the Government of Spain consider that the industrial capacity exists to manufacture all the types of health material needed, including these respirators? And following the extension of the state of emergency, President of the Government, will you also extend the economic support measures for both companies and workers?

President of the Government: Thank you very much Cadena SER. I would like to say that the Royal Decree approved on urgent measures with a social and economic impact in view of the measures we are taking to protect public health, are measures that will extend beyond the initial period of the state of emergency of 15 days, that is, this will now last for a month, and hence I think this question has been answered by taking this into account

Secondly, as regards the manufacturing capacity available to the Government of Spain, I believe this is total and absolute. I believe it is very important to turn to the manufacturing industry in our country and also to other industries that produce other consumer goods, for example, alcohol. We need to steer this towards producing those materials in our country, both for disinfection and also for the production of face masks, gowns, respirators and PCR tests, which will shortly be available en masse to the Spanish people. We have the structure, we have the capacity, and we have the productive infrastructure to do this. We are in a battle against the coronavirus where we can take no prisoners, we are at war and hence there are some decisions we must take as if this were a war economy. We have found, I must say this, these industries wiling to collaborate and we are working against the clock to achieve this mass production and hence be able to supply ourselves.

I also want to say that one of the questions we approved today was to have this capacity for self-sufficiency to guarantee that if in the future, which we hope would be very distant, we once again suffer from thus type of pandemic, then we wouldn't find ourselves without supplies as in this crisis. And because perhaps as well, and not only through this do we hope to create wealth and also security in our country, but we could also give an example of international solidarity by making it available, if we have the capacity to be self-sufficient, to other countries which are in a similar situation to the one that Europe and Spain unfortunately find themselves in at this time.

At any event, I want to say to you that, although we mentioned this yesterday in a press briefing I feel it is important to underline this, the Government of Spain, since approval of the decree of the state of emergency, has made a significant number of professionals available to the National Health System, who will help in all the regions - a total of 52,393 healthcare professionals. That includes resident doctors, doctors and nurses who have retired in the last two years, medical and nursing professionals, non-EU specialists in different fields, and 17,000 students in the final year of medicine and nursing to carry out auxiliary tasks.

And in relation to the supplies, which I know is a major concern on the frontline of battle, which includes health workers and our compatriots who are infected by this virus, by this disease, I should tell them that the Government of Spain is putting all its weight on the international stage, in an international market context that is very difficult, because many countries are looking for and trying to buy these face masks and other material.

In the coming hours, as I announced yesterday in the press briefing, a total of 500,000 surgical masks will be distributed. I know that these are insufficient, but they will be available in the next few hours. With an additional 800,000 surgical masks for patients, in total we are talking about 1.3 million face masks and as the Minister for Health said yesterday, another 4 million face masks will be handed over to the regional governments in the next few days.

I also want to say that there are private initiatives being set in motion by young people and businesses; for example, the President of the Principality of Asturias said to me today about producing respirators with 4D printers. And I also want to say that, for example, public companies like Navantia and also Airbus are working to produce this type of respirators that are very important for the ICUs, which is where the most critical situations are at present, and which will become even more critical in the next few hours as a result of the avalanche we are starting to suffer from, which will become even tougher in the next few days and weeks, and consequently, what we are doing is working against the clock in an international context that, I repeat, is very complex, and very aggressive, to guarantee the health of the Spanish people.

Hence, this is my response; we have this manufacturing capacity, albeit not immediate, but in the near future. And secondly, the Government of Spain, through the Ministry of the Treasury, of Foreign Affairs, and also of Health, with a team specialised in public procurement, is in touch with those producer countries that have this production capacity, particularly China, not just to provide X million face masks, as I said yesterday, but rather to have a production line that guarantees us X million face masks each week, among other materials, for as long as the crisis lasts.

I feel that the matter of self-sufficiency is very important because, as I said before, when this pandemic is over and we have it under control, and until such time as a vaccination is discovered we will obviously still have to live with this disease. Probably not with the same intensity as we have been suffering until now, which will be a great success, but it is clear that we will have to de-escalate this whole situation, this whole exceptional state of emergency in which Spanish society is immersed, and clearly recover this normality, and do so with the tranquillity of knowing our workers are safe, which will involve providing the whole of Spanish society with this material on a mass basis. That is what the Government of Spain is thinking about, and, as I said yesterday, this is the frontline, this is important and urgent, but we also need to look at the bigger picture, at what our weaknesses have been and also the opportunities that exist from the point of view - however strange it may seem - for our country in terms of production and self-sufficiency to guarantee and preserve safety in the medium and long term.

Q: President of the Government, there was also a question about extending the economic measures to workers and companies asked by Cadena SER.

President of the Government: Yes, excuse me, what I said before is that, indeed, we have approved two Royal Decree-Laws and that the measures will obviously last for a month, which is what is proposed by the extension of the state of emergency. And clearly, depending on the outcome of this pandemic, of this crisis, well we will extend this type of measure on economic and social policies in our country.

I also want to say that we are working and advocating a position in Europe so that it can free up resources as well. I believe it is good news that the European Central Bank agreed a few days ago to commit to mobilising 750 billion euros to buy public debt from different European Union countries. And in this regard, I believe that Europe can, should, and we will demand, that it does a lot more at this critical time for European citizens because this virus, I stress, knows no borders within or beyond Europe. We are all going to be affected and harmed, and we are going to suffer the consequences of the coronavirus, either directly or indirectly, and hence Europe must free up resources and I want to assure the Spanish public that the Government of Spain, if it is doing anything, it is advocating this position and approach in the debates at a European level.

Q: El Independiente. How many regional presidents, aside from those of Andalusia, Catalonia and Murcia, have asked for all economic activity to be brought to a halt except the strategic sectors? Why don't you take this measure now which will surely have to be taken shortly, like in Italy?

President of the Government: I stress, and I said this in my press briefing, if you look at the measures that have been taken in other countries, we can place Italy as a benchmark, but if you look at other countries, then Spain is at the vanguard. Spain has taken some very tough measures, which the Spanish people are suffering from, in the flesh, and in their homes. We have proposed a one-month lockdown for the Spanish people, with not just the social and psychological effects that this will have on very vulnerable people, above all the elderly, those who live alone and those who suffer from gender-based violence, and who, I insist, continue to have mechanisms enabled by the Ministry of Home Affairs and public institutions as a whole. We are imposing some extremely serious measures. And I said yesterday, it is courage not fear that should make us stay at home. So, it is important to comply with these measures, which by the way, are what have been recommended by the WHO, by all the experts, who are advising the Government of Spain on how to react to this pandemic. By the way, they are extraordinary professionals. I will simply give you some figures because that seems appropriate to me. Firstly, to see the exemplary degree of compliance by the Spanish people with the rules imposed under the state of emergency, and secondly, to be aware of the scale of the economic slowdown that the country will suffer, which it already is. And also to demand that we to look ahead at the bigger picture in the medium term, when this crisis is over, which fortunately it will be, sooner rather than later. But so that we are aware of the scale, the figures and the impact that this state of emergency has had in its first seven days.

Some figures: passenger travel on intercity buses has dropped by 94%, the AVE high-speed train by 92%. Medium distance train travel has dropped by 89%, commuter trains by between 80% and 90%. Travel by private car has fallen off 70%. To give you an idea, on Friday, only 6,200 people used medium- and long-distance travel between different regions by train in the whole country, while yesterday, on Saturday, this figure stood at 2,388 people. To quote an example, given that I was asked about the issue of Catalonia, the direct AVE line from Madrid to Barcelona, which has always been packed in recent months, indeed at any time of the year, saw passenger numbers drop from 9,943 to 27. Figures dropped on the Madrid-Zaragoza-Barcelona-Figueres AVE line from 18,405 to 531. These are declines of more than 90%. What does this mean? Firstly, that the Spanish people are complying with what the health authorities ordered, and which lie behind the political decisions being adopted by the government under the state of emergency; and secondly, this also highlights the economic slowdown our country is suffering. Hence, I believe it is important to defend these measures; I believe it is important to convey, as I have always done, our willingness to listen - we want to get things right, based on science, take effective measures to contain the spread of the virus and also, and I feel this is very important, ensure that the cost in terms of both human life and jobs, and of the productive capacity of our country, when this pandemic is over, is as little as possible. Clearly public health and the lives of our citizens come first, obviously followed by attending to these social and economic conditions caused by these measures. This is the difficult balance that the Government of Spain is always trying to strike, always putting public health first and always relying on the advice and arguments of science and the experts who are, in short, those who are guiding us in this unprecedented situation that the whole world, including Spain, is suffering from. I place great trust in our professionals, in our experts and scientists. I feel that the measures we have taken are unparalleled in Europe. I repeat, to give you an idea, yesterday Italy banned travel to second homes, something we have been enforcing for a week now. It has proposed closing public areas - parks and gardens - which we have been enforcing for a week now. It has proposed issues that we have already anticipated and taken the corresponding decision, which doesn't mean that we are better or worse in the slightest. On the contrary, what I want to say to the people of Spain is that the measures we are taking are very tough. We will always pay heed to what the experts say to improve things as much as possible, but the measures we are adopting and asking for the Spanish people to comply with, and they know this well and are probably watching this at home right now, are tough.

Q: Financial Times. Last night, you spoke about the need for a greater response from the EU. From your point of view, what fiscal measures should the Eurozone take to tackle the crisis?

President of the Government: Well, at a European level and also at the level of our country, when we have given press briefings all the public leaders have said the same thing, which is that this is a symmetrical crisis. What I mean is that it is a crisis that has fallen like a tonne of bricks on the whole of Europe. And hence, no country has been affected more than any other because this is a war against a virus, that knows no borders, that knows no political colours of governments and that affects the whole of the EU. In fact, it is affecting the whole world. We are all seeing this, like a chain reaction, toppling like dominos, and now everyone is taking measures to restrict mobility, to confine people, to a greater or lesser extent. This is a symmetrical crisis that affects the whole of the EU and which cannot thus be resolved by any one country alone. We must seek and find a European response. What is the Government of Spain advocating? Such logical and rational things that it would be tough for the EU not to take them on. We have applauded the ECB proposing the mobilisation of 750 billion euros to defend the sovereign debt of all the Member States. We have applauded, I have said this as has the Third Vice-President of the Government and Minister for Economic Affairs at all forums, that there will be an ECOFIN meeting this week by video-conference, which seeks to design a great Marshall Plan, a great public investment plan for the whole of the EU and thus start this reconstruction process that we are going to need at a socio-economic level when this is all over. We have advocated relaxing the rules on budget stability at a time like the present. We have also called for the Stability Mechanism, which the EU set up after the 2008 financial crisis, to be a stability mechanism that issues bonds that mutualise debt at a Europe-wide level, for example by issuing 'coronabonds', which is what the President of the ECB, Christine Lagarde, and the President of the EC, Ursula Von der Leyen, have proposed and which the Government of Spain, together with many other countries, is calling for and demanding, which we will continue to do at the corresponding forums. What else can we do? Something that the Government of Spain has been requesting for some time now, which is to set up a European unemployment fund, which provides a complementary benefit to national unemployment funds, above all at such a critical time as we will unfortunately go through in the coming months and which many households are suffering from. And finally we have asked the European Investment Bank to guarantee many of these liquidity measures that all Member States are setting in motion at a national level. In short, what we are asking from the EU is the same as what we are applying ourselves - coordination - and secondly, the largest mobilisation of economic resources and materials ever because Europe is at war against the coronavirus and we must respond with all our weapons and instruments. There is no excuse for not mobilising these resources.

Q: "The New York Times". What can we say about international coordination to date in terms of assessing the health emergency, particularly within the EU? How can we explain why there are so many different emergency measures being taken, comparing Spain and Portugal, for example, neighbours on the same peninsula?

President of the Government: Well, I don't believe that is the case. Spain and Portugal have done whatever we can. I have been lucky enough to have a personal and political relationship of extreme confidence with the Portuguese Prime Minister, Antonio Costa. For example, we have taken joint decisions on our borders, so that cross-border workers can continue to go from one side to the other, on grounds of extreme urgency. But, leisure trips and tourism are not allowed as we should all be on lockdown. So, from the point of view of a response, the answer is the same, things might be different with other countries, but not with Portugal. But in the case of other European countries, it is the timing, let's say, in taking strong measures which is different, but it is clear that there are some countries, like Spain, that are at the vanguard of many of the measures being taken to contain and flatten the curve of the coronavirus. At any event, I feel this subtlety is important because clearly all European countries should be aware that they will have to take drastic measures to flatten the curve with as few lives lost as possible, and also with the least social and economic cost possible from a pandemic which, I insist, is global. A pandemic that obviously knows no borders and whereby every country will need to take measures to coordinate and fight this effectively. That is at a European level; at an international level I had the chance to talk last week with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, who is the President of the G-20. As you know, Spain is a member of the G-20. I asked him if we could hold a G-20 meeting as soon as possible of the main global economies to design a proposal and a series of common measures and policies in this field. Hence, we are not being negligent in terms of a national, a European or an international response.

Q: Radio Intereconomía. In the end, Brussels will waive the deficit target for 2020 - an unprecedented measure. How does the Government of Spain view this measure? Will it allow you to adopt new economic or fiscal measures in the coming weeks? On another note, the Bank of Spain, the ECB and many other bodies agree on the importance of a coordinated response among the Member States of the European Union. Do you think this response will come soon?

President of the Government: Well, as regards the second question, and if the media will allow me, I think I have already answered the question about the proposals, from the New York Times I believe. The proposals we advocate at a European level and what we clearly want is that the sooner we receive a response, the better. And the government is clearly on this wavelength.

Secondly, in answer to your first question about how the Government of Spain sees these measures and whether this will allow us to adopt new economic and tax measures in the coming weeks, I think the approach the European Commission has taken is the right one. As I said before, this is a crisis which took us by surprise, which no-one expected. Unlike the crisis that is often talked about, the one in 2008. Well this is a crisis that has nothing to do with mistakes in regulating a certain sector or of the bubble bursting. For example, look how the real estate sector suffered, to quote this example of Spain, but here we are talking about a pandemic and hence a public health emergency. So, I believe that it is very important for European governments and, above all, the European institutions, to be aware that we are sensitive to and empathise with society, which is why we set in motion this raft of social and economic measures. And I am very grateful to the European Commission for saying that those policies we set in motion to halt the coronavirus pandemic will not be taken into account for the public deficit and public debt regarding the criteria for stability. It's not that they won't be taken into account, but that they won't be taken into account in terms of compliance with the stability and growth pact. Hence, in the end we are making an extraordinary fiscal effort, and will be doing so in the coming months. Because we will all be called on to take part in the social and economic reconstruction after this battle, this war against the coronavirus. And I stress that it is important for this not just to have a national response. Europe is so much more than just sharing a single market. Europe is also a philosophy; it means basic, fundamental principles on human rights, on protecting progress, and in this regard I believe that Europe must bring a lot more to the table in the next few months. And I believe that furthermore, even against this backdrop it is a great opportunity to legitimise the European project. We are a pro-European government because we are a pro-European country, and hence we will work in that direction.

Q: El Español. The social media have posted that some of your family members, apart from your wife, have been taken into hospital; while this is delicate, could you confirm whether this is true or not.

President of the Government: There are many families in our country that are suffering from similar situations; my family is no more or less important than other families in our country, although I am very grateful for your display of interest and for the support we have received at this time.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)

Non official translation