Appearance by the President of the Government of Spain following his meeting with His Majesty the King in Palma (Mallorca)

SPEECH BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN, PEDRO SÁNCHEZ

Good afternoon. First of all, I would like to thank the media for attending this traditional press conference following my meeting with His Majesty the King.

I would also like to thank His Majesty the King for his efforts, as I am aware that he has only just returned from Peru, where he attended the inauguration of Peru's new president, whom I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate from here in Spain. And I would also like to wish him every success and hope that we can continue this close collaboration between two sister nations, Peru and Spain.

But I was saying that I am also, of course, grateful to His Majesty the King for having held this meeting, despite his busy schedule and his official visit.

I would also like to thank the President of the Balearic Islands, Ms Prohens, for the traditional institutional meeting between the president of the Government of Spain and the president of the Balearic Islands, which also took place here in this office, in the presence of His Majesty the King.

Regarding the meeting with His Majesty the King - as always - I'll outline a few key points so that I can then answer your questions and keep my response as brief as possible. As you can imagine, the first and most important matter we discussed was the extreme fire situation which, unfortunately, we are currently facing in Spain and which formed the focus of much of the discussion between His Majesty the King and myself.

I said this today, when I had the opportunity to visit the Unified Command Operations Centre in connection with the fires in the Community of Madrid and Ávila. I would ask all citizens that, as we are set to experience a new heatwave until Sunday, we all take the utmost care and take preventative measures, and therefore, above all, to pay close attention to the information provided by reputable media outlets and official channels regarding the progress of these fires.

As you know, at the moment - pending the latest figures - there are ten forest fires of varying sizes currently raging across Spain.

The most recent case, as you are aware and have reported, is in the province of Zamora, where we have also had to place some towns under lockdown.

Fortunately, in other areas - such as Ávila and the Community of Madrid - people are already being rehoused, and restrictions are being lifted in towns which, due to the scale of the fires, we had to place under lockdown.

In short, we are in a critical and highly complex situation, caused by high temperatures, low humidity and gusts of wind which are effectively causing the fires to spread and expand at an exponentially higher rate than what has traditionally been understood to be the rate at which fires spread.

That is why I am asking members of the public to get their information from official channels and from reputable media outlets. Please do not pay any attention to hoaxes or misinformation. And, of course, please be aware that all institutions - from small towns to Provincial Administrations, regional councils, regional governments and, of course, the National Civil Protection System - are standing by, ready to deploy all our resources specifically to tackle the fires.

Secondly, we also discussed economic policy with His Majesty the King, and the economic situation the country is currently facing.

Indeed, as I said earlier, we are facing a complex situation in terms of the climate emergency, but the data from the Labour Force Survey also points to economic growth that is leading to strong job creation.

At the press conference I held last Tuesday following the traditional Council of Ministers meeting - which is also the occasion for presenting a review of the government's actions over the past six months - I said that the Spanish economy and the labour market in Spain are not only creating a great many jobs, but are doing so against a very complex international backdrop - as you are all aware - which is leading to downwards revisions in economic growth forecasts, not in Spain, but in the other major European economies. What's more, we are creating jobs in high value-added sectors. And I believe that if this demonstrates anything, it is precisely that we are witnessing a shift in the economic model, where there is an increasing focus on and concentration of job creation in high value-added sectors, without, of course, detracting from sectors that are very important, for example, for the Balearic Islands, such as the tourism sector, which in Spain accounts for no less than 13% of our gross domestic product.

And, finally, in this meeting we discussed the international situation. On the situation in Ukraine. Of course, the situation in the Middle East. And, without a doubt, Latin American politics as well. Not only because of the inauguration of Peru's new president, but also because, as you know, this coming November, Spain - and Madrid, its capital, in particular - will have the honour of hosting the Ibero-American Summit, where we hope to welcome many leaders from the region.

These are the matters I have discussed with His Majesty the King. And if I may make a brief comment - not because it isn't important, but because I'm convinced that the local media will later ask me about the meeting I've had with President Prohens. Well, we've discussed the immigration situation and regional funding. We have also discussed the housing situation. We also discussed the eclipse due to take place on 12 August, for which both the government of the Balearic Islands and the Government of Spain have set up inter-ministerial committees to ensure that, indeed, 12 August is a success, given that it represents an unprecedented event; moreover, it is particularly noteworthy that Spain will be one of the best countries in the world from which to observe this truly unique phenomenon: the eclipse.

On the subject of the fires and the Balearic Islands, as you know, the European Commission has decided that a major fire-fighting centre will be established in the Eastern Mediterranean, specifically on Cyprus. Well, I would like to announce - I have shared this with His Majesty the King and also with President Prohens - that I have personally sent a letter to the President of the European Commission requesting that the site chosen for a firefighting hub in the Western Mediterranean - the region that concerns and represents us - be located on the island of Mallorca, specifically at the Son Sant Joan air base.

And, without further ado, I make myself available to the media to answer these questions.

QUESTIONS FROM THE MEDIA

Lucía Yeste (RNE). Mr President, I have a couple of questions, as I am speaking on behalf of my fellow colleagues. The first is that, despite the fact that it was the Supreme Court itself that requested a reduction in the sentence it had imposed on Laura Borràs, you decided yesterday to grant her a pardon.

However, in the past, both you and your coalition partners have repeatedly stated on numerous occasions that corruption offences were not covered by the Amnesty Act or, where applicable, by pardons. What is the reason for this change of position? Is it linked to the seven votes cast by Junts on the budget? That's one point. We have since learnt today of a decision by the federal judge to charge the former Director-General of the Civil Guard. Two directors-general of the Civil Guard have been charged, and yet this does not undermine or affect the image of the Civil Guard. And finally, it has also emerged that the Community of Madrid has apparently purchased a penthouse in Chamberí, a desirable area of the capital, presumably to set up an office for the President of the Community of Madrid whilst building work is underway at the Puerta del Sol.

I would like you to comment on this.

Response: With regard to the first of these issues, which is the pardon - to be precise - a partial one. A partial pardon. This follows a ruling by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, which found that the prison sentence imposed in the judgment was excessive; consequently, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia's view is that the charge of embezzlement should be upheld, but not the prison sentence itself, which was deemed excessive. We are therefore complying with the ruling of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia. And that has nothing to do with budget negotiations, nor, of course, does it have anything to do with politics.

Please make absolutely sure you are clear on that. As regards the second point, I have nothing further to add. Presumption of innocence. And, indeed, we shall see how this whole case unfolds. And, as regards the last of these questions, it is the president of the Community of Madrid who will have to answer for it, not me.

Nekane Domblás (Última Hora): Hello, how are you? Good evening. First of all, welcome to the Balearic Islands. As I do every year - and I repeat, as I do every year - I am asking this question on behalf of all my colleagues from the Balearic Islands. And there are two and a half questions, because two of them are related; they concern the recent demonstration - I assume you're aware of it - which took place this Sunday in Mallorca. Mass protest against... More and more people believe that there may well be too much tourism on the Balearic Islands. I don't know whether the government feels compelled to act on this call to reduce tourism, especially given that the Secretary of State for Tourism is from here - a native of the Balearic Islands. And regarding this question - specifically the second part of it - I would like you to assess the incidents that took place after the demonstration. The Government representative believes that the police used unnecessary force. I don't know whether you share this view or whether you think the police did their duty and acted appropriately. That's as far as tourism is concerned. And then I also wanted to know… You travelled to Algeria just recently. One of the concerns here in the Balearic Islands is the arrival of small boats, with the number of arrivals rising steadily. I do not know whether the Government already recognises that there is an Algerian route to the Balearic Islands, or whether it believes that these meetings with Algeria will serve to at least stem the flow of migrants to the Balearic Islands.

Response:BWell, thank you very, very much for your questions. With regard to the first point, if my information is correct, this demonstration is linked more to the housing issue, the high cost of housing and the fact that many sections of the population of the Balearic Islands are unable to access housing. And indeed, the impact that tourism is having on the use of homes for tourist purposes, thereby making it impossible for the citizens of the Balearic Islands to access housing. If my information is correct, then - and I believe you would agree - the first thing I would like to say is that the Government of Spain, of course, sympathises with causes of this kind. In fact, the Government of Spain has made housing policy one of its main objectives - one of its top priorities - with the aim of establishing it as the fifth pillar of the welfare state. Let it therefore be a right that can be guaranteed in practical terms to the citizens of our country. And indeed, we are currently facing - particularly in certain regions, such as the Balearic Islands - housing crises which all public authorities have not only an obligation, but also a moral duty to help resolve. What has the Government of Spain done? In this area, the Government of Spain has introduced the first law of the democratic era: a Housing Act that empowers the regional governments and local entities to use measures to intervene in a market that is clearly out of control, such as the market for house prices, both for purchase and for rent, by setting caps on rent prices, establishing criteria such as ensuring that social housing funded with public resources is not sold to vulture funds, and making a clear commitment to the refurbishment and construction of social housing. And that is what the Government of Spain is doing. Unfortunately, we are seeing governments - which I believe, due to neoliberal dogmatism and ideological and partisan sectarianism, are refusing to use the tools provided by the Housing Act to intervene in a market that is completely out of control - and yet experience is beginning to yield very positive results, because those regional governments and local entities that set aside party politics and ideological sectarianism and apply tools to intervene in the housing market - and we are seeing this in Catalonia. We are also seeing this in other parts of Spain; for example, in the Basque Country, we are beginning to see a slowdown in the rise in both rental prices and house prices. Therefore, I believe we are now beginning to have sufficient empirical evidence to show that traditional laissez-faire market approaches are not working and that intervention is required; furthermore, the regional governments and local entities have the mechanisms to intervene in stressed areas, just as other cities are doing, and are demonstrating that it is possible to start keeping rental prices and house prices controlled. Incidentally, without reducing the housing supply. Therefore, if there is one thing I would ask of the People's Party governments in this instance, it is that they enforce the Housing Act, that they set aside their neoliberal dogmatism, their ideological sectarianism, and that they use the tools provided by the State to intervene in a market that is not functioning and is driving thousands upon thousands of citizens onto the streets, as has been the case this weekend here in the Balearic Islands.

Secondly, what is the Government of Spain doing with regard to tourism? No government has ever shown such a clear commitment or invested more financial resources in ensuring that tourism becomes more sustainable, that the hotel sector can be modernised and, as a result, that the tourists visiting our country are of a higher calibre, with greater spending power. And that is what the Government of Spain is banking on - I would also say, in partnership with major companies in the tourism sector. And regarding the demonstration. Therefore. One. We sympathise with this cause - the cause of housing - and we are providing resources, legislation and tools so that the regional governments and local entities, which have primary responsibility in this area, can make use of them and intervene in the market. I therefore fully empathise with the citizens who are protesting on this issue.

Secondly, having spoken to the Government representative, I would like to express my regret at the images we have seen. He himself has stated that an investigation has been launched to determine exactly what responsibilities can be attributed in relation to these charges and, ultimately, to convey the Government of Spain's full confidence in the Government delegate. I believe he is someone with proven political experience and proven managerial skills, and that all he does is carry out his duties well. And we'll have to wait and see what the outcome is of this investigation, which has been launched as a result of this demonstration.

Secondly, President Prohens and I have indeed discussed this visit to Algeria. I believe this visit marks a turning point in bilateral relations. One of the issues I raised with President Tebboune - and, of course, with his government as well - is the need to step up repatriation efforts considerably so that, in fact, this irregular migration - which, it is true, we are managing better than last year - does not put pressure on the Balearic Islands, which are indeed facing a situation that we in the Government of Spain are monitoring closely; I have conveyed to the president of the Balearic Islands that we will work together to try to alleviate this pressure.

Question. If you'll allow me, we'll say goodbye. Will we see you next year?

Response: Well, that's my plan.

Question. There are elections. That is why we are doing it.

Response:That's for sure, that's for sure. And my aim will, of course, be to carry on with this work.

Question. Are you going on holiday, Mr President?

Response: Well, let's give it a go. First, let's see whether the trend - particularly for Level 3 in Madrid and Ávila - can now be reversed. I think we're at a point where, whilst exercising due caution, we can say that the fire is developing favourably; and, well, it's true that we're currently experiencing this heatwave, which is why I'm strongly urging everyone to take preventative measures and exercise caution. Let us hope that the fire-fighting efforts being carried out by all personnel within the National Civil Protection System bear fruit, and that we can now consider this terrible fire - which has forced us to evacuate and confine thousands upon thousands of citizens - to be under control. I realise that for citizens who are being evicted or placed under lockdown, all these measures are difficult to understand. But I want you to know that, of course, the priority for public institutions - from the local entity and the regional government right up to the Government of Spain, including the Military Emergency Unit - is to safeguard lives, protect communities and fight the fires.

We are facing a very serious climate emergency. That is why, with regard to the islands in the Mediterranean that are suffering from this climate emergency, I would like to ask all policymakers to recognise the scale of the challenge ahead of us, to set aside, in short, their ideological differences - because this has nothing to do with ideology; it is science, and it is a very serious matter. And we all need to do much more than we are currently doing, because we are undoubtedly united in our response, but we must also be united in our prevention efforts and in the reconstruction of the affected areas. If we fail to incorporate a fundamental factor - namely the climate emergency - into those prevention and reconstruction efforts, we will not be doing things properly, and that is what I would like to ask of all political parties - or at least the majority of them - because there are some who, no matter what you say to them, are flat-earthers; they have decided to be that and will never, shall we say, be persuaded otherwise. But come on, parties that call themselves 'state' parties - let's make a 'state' pact to tackle the climate emergency. I believe it is worth it and that, probably now more than ever, it is the agreement our country needs most.

Thank you very much. And, if you can, have a rest this summer, and I'll see you next summer - or at least I'll try to.

(Transcript edited by the State Secretariat for Communication)