The President of the Government of Spain calls for harmony and reunion as weapons of progress

Foment del Treball headquarters, Barcelona

In the Catalan capital, the president called for the recovery of lost coexistence and strength to turn them into weapons of progress. "Let us commit ourselves to harmony and reunion as weapons of progress, and let us get to work", the President of the Government demanded.

In front of the Catalan audience, Pedro Sánchez expressed the certainty that the future is at stake, and that the future will come from reunion. "And reunion will only be achieved with arguments, and with emotions, which we all have, but with reasons that speak to us of the road ahead together," he said.

President Sánchez has appealed directly to "every woman and every man in our society, whatever their profession and condition; wherever they live" to have courage and a sense of exemplariness.

In his speech, Pedro Sánchez expressed his certainty that the time has come to find a solution to problems that compromise our economy and our success as a society, in Spain and in Catalonia. "Let us be generous in our efforts, one and all," he said.

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo As a proposal, Sánchez advanced the search for "a new us" as an alternative to the dual dialectic of one and all. "Let's exchange threats for proposals, wherever they come from. And let us not look for justifications or revenge, but for solutions: with pragmatism, with honesty and with common sense. This new "we" will be our greatest success as a society," he said.

In a speech based on long-term ideas and identifying opportunities, Sanchez exemplified in La Vanguardia - the newspaper of the award-winning editor - the value of "projects sustained over time, designed not to silence the urgencies of the present, but to respond to the needs of tomorrow".

In this sense, the president called for the pettiness of partisan interests or electoral calculations to be overcome, to "take steps that allow us to move forwards once and for all decisively, calmly and a sense of justice, seeking to benefit citizens as a whole at all times".

"We cannot fail", he demanded, urging us to take on and lead the "revolutionary" changes that overcoming the pandemic poses so as to not miss the train of this new modernity.

Economic context: Europe's strongest growth

Sanchez addressed the Catalan business forum, inviting them once again to enthusiastically join the transformation programme set out in the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

Foto: Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo"You are indispensable. Catalonia is essential; we need the best version of Catalonia to lead, as it has always done, the economic and social modernisation of Spain".

Sánchez pointed out that the signs of recovery already shown by the Spanish economy, such as the reduction of 130,000 unemployed people in May or the creation of jobs at the same level as before the pandemic, will be consolidated with the arrival of the first European funds in July, accelerating economic growth and creating a "strong rebound", with growth forecast for the second quarter 1.4% higher than the previous quarter.

He also recalled that Europe points to Spain as the leader in economic growth throughout the Union, as reflected in the Government's forecasts, with GDP growth of 6.5% in 2021 and 7% in 2022. Data that, as the president stressed, suggest that Spain will recover its pre-pandemic Gross Domestic Product sooner than expected: only three years after the beginning of the crisis.

Non official translation