Pedro Sánchez vindicates constitutional values, "which include harmony and coexistence"

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

In his response to the question posed in the control session of the Government by Pablo Casado, of the People's Parliamentary Group, Sánchez stressed that the Executive defends the unity of Spain and the Constitution, as facts in Catalonia demonstrate.

"Since the Socialist Party has been governing together with Unidas Podemos, there have been zero unilateral declarations of independence, zero illegal independence referendums and zero illegalities in the Parliament of Catalonia," he said.

The President of the Government added that defending constitutionalism requires collaborating in the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary, respecting the institutional role of the King and contributing to democratic regeneration through the Anti-Transfer Pact.

"We are not going to use the Constitution, the Spanish flag, territorial integrity or the parliamentary monarchy to divide Spaniards," he said.

Promoting agreement within the law

Congreso de los DiputadosThe head of the Executive has advocated seeking a solution to the coexistence and political problem that exists in Catalonia.

Faced with the vision of a Spain in which there is only room for a few," he indicated that "the Executive is committed to constitutional values, among which are harmony and coexistence" in his reply to a question from Santiago Abascal, of the Vox Parliamentary Group.

Sánchez argued that, both in its text and in its spirit, the Constitution "tells us that we have to promote dialogue and agreement, that we have to negotiate within democratic legality, with respect for the Spanish Constitution, to guarantee and safeguard the territorial integrity and unity of Spain".

The Government - the president pointed out - is going to vindicate "the Spain that looks forward and not the Spain in black and white".

Meeting commitments to Cantabria

With regard to the Executive's commitments to the Regional Government of Cantabria, an issue raised by José María Mazón of the Mixed Parliamentary Group, Pedro Sánchez stated that the Government is meeting them and will continue to do so throughout the legislature.

The president explained that the General Budgets for 2021 commit 2.25 billion euros in resources for Cantabria, with investments amounting to almost 283 million euros. This equates to 401 euros per inhabitant, 55% above the national average.

Congreso de los DiputadosThe head of the Executive also referred to the "significant boost" given to the development of rail connections in the region and the authorisation of 44 million euros to repay the debt of the Valdecilla hospital.

With regard to the water supply in Cantabria, Sánchez reiterated that "it is guaranteed now and always", and praised the work carried out jointly in this area by the Vice-President for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge and the regional government.

Non official translation