Joint press conference with President of Council of Ministers of Italian Republic

Rome (Italy)

Good afternoon. Firstly, I would like to thank the media for attending this press conference, and also thank Prime Minister Giuseppe, my friend Giuseppe, for the hospitality shown to us.

I also want to express my gratitude to the teams at the Prime Minister's office and also the ambassadors for the work they have done in recent weeks to facilitate the holding of this important event for the Government of Spain.

I would like to start my speech by thanking Prime Minister Conte for his words. I also want to convey, on behalf of the Spanish people, the solidarity, empathy and emotional remembrance for all the victims of COVID-19 in Italy throughout this whole pandemic, and indeed all the victims of the pandemic. Let's remember these more than 1 million people who have lost their lives as a result of COVID19; they have all our solidarity, all our commitment, and logically their memory will be ever present in all the actions and in all the political and public decisions all governments take.

I have little to add to what Prime Minister Conte has already said. By way of summary, I would like to say that the state of relations between Spain and Italy, between Italy and Spain, is that together we are stronger and together we make Europe stronger, which is the common project Giuseppe referred to before.

And we have precisely seen this over the course of these long months of the pandemic, before the historic agreement was reached in July. If it wasn't for the contribution to the European debate from Italy and from Spain in the non papers on which the European response to this socio-economic crisis stemming from the COVID-19 health emergency should be, then this agreement would very probably not have materialised to the extent we saw back in June.

That is why I feel that this summit is very important to re-launch relations between Spain and Italy, because together we make our societies stronger and we make the European project stronger.

There are probably many times when we can stress the state of relations between Italy and Spain, but I feel that this year, in 2020, with the pandemic that is ravaging our societies in such a resounding fashion, it is very important to highlight these Mediterranean relations, such as those between Italy and Spain, and the work we do together, because we also have a very similar outlook in many areas. From the point of view of the socio-economic emergency, you have the Recovery Fund. From the point of view of the challenges our societies are facing and the direction that the European Union should head, we also agree on this. And the digital transition, which Prime Minister Conte mentioned earlier, and the ecological transition. Our countries are countries with a strong presence in the agro-industrial sector and in the tourism sector. We are Mediterranean countries. The Mediterranean is one of the hot spots of climate change. We must speed up this change. And also clearly in everything related to education, cohesion and defending the internal market throughout the European Union.

Hence, I want to say to you by this that it is very important for us to hold, to preserve and to enhance this common vision of the challenges we face, of the path that our societies must take and, above all, of how we must strengthen this common project.

Prime Minister Conte has spoken about the Recovery Fund. This Recovery Fund regarding which I am convinced that both Italian and Spanish companies - according to the framework our two governments have given them, which are closely aligned in terms of the goals - can find synergies and mechanisms for collaboration, shared projects for countries as important as Italy and Spain and for the European Union as a whole.

I think we can do the same with other debates we have on the table at an EU level. Clearly, as regards the stability of the Mediterranean. And also clearly as regards the challenge of migration. Both the Italian and the Spanish Governments are aware that the question of migration has a security dimension but there are many others that also need strengthening. On collaboration, cooperation, co-development and shared responsibility with countries of origin and of transit.

In short, I feel that we have a lot of work to do and that, indeed, today's summit that we will close off - Prime Minister Conte and myself - is fundamental, but also the work our two governments have been doing for some months now.

So, I don't want to go on too long in this opening speech, but simply want to highlight that the conclusion that can be taken away from all this joint work our two governments have done since the start of the pandemic, and even before the start, is that together we can make our societies stronger and also make the European Union much stronger.

I also feel that this is very good news for Spanish and Italian society, but first and foremost this Mediterranean perspective is extraordinary news for Europe - what two such important countries as Italy and Spain can contribute to this European construction, where so much is at stake in this response to the pandemic, not just to the health emergency, but also to the socio-economic emergency, and above all everything we can commit to a Europe that is much more inclusive, much more competitive so that it becomes, in short, a leader in a world that is indeed changing with giants that compete against the European Union, and hence we are under a duty and with a need to strengthen this.

Thank you very much Giuseppe for your hospitality and I would once again thank the teams who have made it possible to hold this summit.

The first question is for the Spanish press, for Patricia de Arce, from "Agencia EFE".

Hello; good afternoon to you both. This question is for the two of you. In this second wave of the pandemic, in the case of Italy, there are regions such as Lombardy and Campania that have called for a curfew; this has also been suggested in Spain. The government says that it is studying it. I wanted to know if the two of you can tell me if the time has come to take measures at a national, and not just a regional, level. In the case of Spain, I would like to ask President of the Government Sánchez if he considers a state of emergency necessary, a new state of emergency for the whole country. And over all of these months, the two of you have, moreover, praised its management, the measures that have been taken. I wanted to know, given that these have been two of the countries most affected, what self-criticisms you may have and what mistakes you feel have been made by the two of you in recent months? Thank you very much.

President of the Government: Thank you, Patricia, for your questions.

Let's see, as regards the first issue regarding the curfew that it would seem has been suggested by the Regional Government of Madrid. I think that the Minister for Health has answered this question at the Council of Ministers.

All the regional governments have the absolute support of Central Government. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, and we have said this on many occasions, all the regional governments have the collaboration, cooperation and support of Central Government.

Secondly, we must see if this proposal by the Regional Government of Madrid has any substance and if it does, I feel that what is important is to hold a multilateral debate through the Inter-territorial Health Council, which will take place tomorrow or Thursday, and hence, depending on that, see exactly what needs there are and also the proposals that the other regional governments bring to the table.

It is clear that the epidemiological situation in Spain is different according to the region, but what is common is the support being given by Central Government to each of the regions.

All the decisions we have taken, I stress, are based on scientific evidence, on contributions from the experts, and secondly, are proportional to the state of the epidemic in each of the regions.

Lastly, the Government of Spain is taking measures at a national level. The thing is, unlike what happened in the first wave, in this second wave we are strengthening cooperation mechanisms that we have classified as co-governance mechanisms a great deal more, if that's possible, as a result of it spreading differently to in the first wave, which was a sudden situation.

At the Inter-territorial Councils, since the state of emergency was lifted in the month of June, we have successively been agreeing on measures to be implemented throughout the country. It is quite a different matter that the regional governments, as you are well aware, have jurisdiction on health matters, but a homogenous response is being given as regards the COVID-19 situation. Quite probably this Thursday, this week, we will reach a new agreement at the Inter-territorial Council between the regional governments and Central Government on the different phases according to the epidemiological situation in each of the regions and recommendations to be implemented there.

And as regards your last question, regarding the mistakes there have been, look, we have said this from the very start. This is an unknown virus in many of its spheres, including for science, for public decision-making and for governments. But, at any event, I feel that the keys are always the same. Firstly, humility, as regards dealing with this pandemic. Secondly, strict respect for what the scientists tell us, the experts. Fortunately, we have some extraordinary professionals at a health and epidemiological level. And thirdly, the utmost collaboration with the rest of the regional governments and public institutions. So, science, collaboration-co-governance and humility in tackling the pandemic. I feel that this is the right attitude and approach to successfully address this pandemic.

Francesco Olivo, from "La Stampa". Good afternoon. It would seem at this time that Spain is on the verge of not asking for the Recovery Fund. I want to ask President of the Government Sánchez what importance Spanish decisions have for Italian decisions, what level of contact there is between the two decisions. Today, in an interview with Enrico Letta in "El País", the journalist asks about collaboration between Spain and Italy to reform the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). So, I wanted to know whether the Mediterranean perspective that Pedro Sánchez spoke about could be extended to this area. Thank you very much.

President of the Government: I think that both Prime Minister Conte and I are well aware that the power of our collaboration in many areas of European decision-making is extraordinary. I feel that for a great many years we have failed to harness the opportunity of working side-by-side, of working together, of providing a common Italian-Spanish perspective to many of the challenges facing the European Union. But when we have done so it has been very positive, not only for our societies but for the European Union as a whole.

I want to remind you that when the pandemic broke out, the first governments to set in motion the non papers and documents to offer a common response, first through the mutualisation of debt, and then by mobilising resources, were the Governments of Spain and Italy. It is then true that there were other governments that should also be acknowledged for their work and commitment, such as the French and German Governments. And I feel it is very important to underline this fact, the fact that very often we have not been aware that by working together the Spanish and Italian people we can be much more successful in terms of benefitting our societies.

It seems fundamental to me that by working together, by adopting a common perspective on projects and debates in Europe, this may be beneficial to our societies in the coming years and I would clearly like to state that Spain and its government intends to do this. And it also pleases me to know that this willingness is shared by the Italian Government.

Aside from that, I would like to say to you that I have not read the information you have referred to. For Spain, the Recovery Fund over the next few years would amount to a transfer of 140 billion euros. What we have done has been to start to manage these 140 billion euros. This amounts to 72 billion euros in the first three years, which will primarily be in direct transfers and not loans. It is not a question of renouncing the rest of the economic resources, but simply a question of the material capacity to effectively manage these resources under the Recovery Fund.

And as regards the ESM, I am aware that this debate already has a long track-record in Italy, and also remember that both Prime Minister Conte and I were asked about the ESM at Moncloa Palace, and furthermore, this was asked by the same Italian and Spanish journalists as always. But I feel that things should be placed in the right context, which is what I feel the Minister for Foreign Affairs did in the interview.

One, the response Europe in offering is not the same as in 2008. We are talking about 750 billion euros that will be invested in economic resources for the recovery throughout the continent over the next six years.

Two, let's not forget that we have the European Central Bank which, unlike what happened in 2008, is buying public debt and helping all European governments to issue the debt we need to tackle the socio-economic effects of this pandemic.

And three, thanks to the boost from such governments as Italy and Spain, we have achieved things that were unimaginable some months back. Both our governments, as are many other governments in the European Union, are signing up to SURE - the Scheme for Unemployment Reinsurance in Europe - which is financing unemployment protection harmed in some sectors that have been badly affected by the pandemic. And indeed, the ESM was set up as a specific line with no conditions except those related to it as an expense regarding the health emergency.

So, through the European Union we have put a great many instruments on the table, with a lot of effort from all parties, with the very clear aim of federalising the common response we must give from Europe to a pandemic that is shared by the whole planet, not only the whole of Europe. And hence, if we can make transformations, modernisations and reforms to some of these instruments, then Spain will always back opening up these debates, because we believe that what is important is to create instruments that serve a good purpose and are positive for responding to a health emergency such as the one we are going through.

Carina Verdú, from Antena 3 television. A question for both Prime Ministers. If you will allow me to come back to the question from my colleague Patricia, I wasn't clear about the answer. Could you clarify for us if you are in favour of applying a curfew to control night-life?

And I wanted to ask you how you will address tomorrow's vote of no confidence. What role will you play and what reasons will you agree on with the Second Vice-President of the Government in the government's response to VOX?

And to end, you will be given an audience on Saturday by the Pope. I wanted to know when you requested this audience which issues you will address and if you will pass on a formal invitation to the Pope to visit Spain. Thank you.

President of the Government: Thank you very much Carina for your questions.

As regards your first question, the most important thing is to see whether the Regional Government of Madrid officially asks for the curfew or not.

All we know to date is that there has been a statement by a councillor, but it would now seem that they are going to meet this afternoon with the Ministry of Health, and so we need to know whether the Regional Government of Madrid is going to ask for this or not. Aside from that, what I have said is that any region, any regional government, will always receive the utmost support from the Central Government.

This has been the approach that Central Government has taken, through the Ministry of Health, with each of the regions, and hence while I understand your question, what is important is to see exactly what is proposed, what the Regional Government of Madrid is officially asking for. And that meeting will be held this afternoon. And the Inter-territorial Council will be held on Thursday. I also feel it is important to see what proposals the other regions are making. What I can say to you is that each region will receive the utmost support from Central Government.

A different question is the technical and legal debate of the figure that needs to be used to structure this kind of measure proposed by the Regional Government of Madrid. But let's take each step as it comes and see exactly what the Regional Government of Madrid is asking for, and what the other regions are asking for. And I would also remind you of something: we have been working for some weeks with the regional governments on a guide of recommendations according to the epidemiological situation in each region as to the national response we are going to give, a homogenous response depending on the epidemiological situation in each region, under a traffic-light system - a system of phases that we will announce on Thursday.

What I do feel is important, and I do appreciate how weary our people may be, is that we are well aware that we are facing a very delicate and serious situation, and that we can expect some tough weeks and months ahead, because we are going into winter, and thus it is very important for us to act responsibly, to be well aware that the "three Ms" we have always said - face coverings, social distancing and frequent hand washing - are fundamental if we want to act as a barrier rather than as vectors for the spread of the virus.

As regards, the vote of no-confidence, it doesn't look like it will prosper following what the different parliamentary groups have said. The Government of Spain has always said the same - this is a constitutional measure contained in Article 113 of the Spanish Constitution, and hence it is a legitimate instrument. And I would also like to remind you that the vote of no-confidence in Spain and in our Constitution is a constructive vote of no-confidence where we can contrast the programme for government, in this case by the far-right candidate, Mr Abascal, with what the Government of Spain has been doing in the first few months of this term of office.

I hope and wish to see an intense debate, because this political period is clearly intense, but I would ask for respect, for reason and for the public representatives in a great democracy such as Spain's to set a good example.

I feel that this is the most important aspect, and logically in this context, since the Government of Spain will attend with the utmost seriousness and rigour to debate a vote of no-confidence which, I repeat, is a procedure regulated and contained in our Constitution. Aside from that, obviously all the ministers are representatives of the Government of Spain and we should remember that this is a coalition government.

Oh yes, and the Pope, sorry Carina, my apologies because I haven't answered you.

Well, we have indeed been working for weeks with the Vatican to hold this important meeting. I would like to say to you that for the Government of Spain relations with the Vatican are important. We have put many issues on the table. The figure of Pope Francis is, I feel, an inspiring figure, an unquestionable figure, and hence, from this perspective, I want to say to you that we will obviously also attend with a desire to invite the Pope to visit Spain when he is able, and we also want to see the best possible relations, in this case with the Vatican, by the Government of Spain.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)

Non official translation