Moncloa Palace, Madrid
The President of the Government asserted that these medals are the finest way of thanking the award-winners for their conduct which is "socially useful and exemplary in the performance of their duties".
Mariano Rajoy underlined that "Spain is a cultural powerhouse of the first order and the third leading country in the world in terms of the number of assets declared as World Heritage Sites because there are people who have striven to ensure that Spain is always at the vanguard of the arts". In this regard, he highlighted the work of Víctor Ullate, who has made "our country a benchmark in the world of dance and who, with his pedagogical and training programmes, has ensured that his art has continuity and set a trend". He also highlighted the work of Soledad Lorenzo, who "has contributed to our cultural importance by extending the extraordinary Spanish pictorial tradition through her work as a gallery owner".
According to Mariano Rajoy, Spain is a country open to the world and its exports represent 34% of its Gross Domestic Product thanks to the work of such people as Federico Beltrán who "has contributed to this collective achievement in such as key sector as the agri-food industry", and Francisco Martínez Consentino "whose creations are a masterpiece of technology and innovation".
Among the goods that Spain has started to export, explained the President of the Government, "is a model of the creation of wealth, a social model that during the years of the crisis has shown that it is capable of maintaining jobs through alternatives to dismissals: the social economy". By way of example, he highlighted the ability of Juan Antonio Pedreño to lay the foundations for a future "in which cooperatives and social economy institutions will play an important role".
As benchmarks of entrepreneurship, the President of the Government also mentioned María Benjumea, a pioneer in Internet job portals and in promoting networks designed to foster a meeting place between companies and investors, and Juan Roig, the creator of a successful company in the distribution sector, 100% Spanish, a "model of professionalism, of efficiency in serving the consumer and capable of generating 76,000 jobs".
Award-winners in other sectors
Pool Moncloa/Diego CrespoThe President of the Government thanked Mariano Puig for his work in the world of fashion and cosmetics, since he has managed to place "his most emblematic creation in more than 150 countries". The presence of the Spain Brand, he added, "has also been favoured by the outstanding work of Alberto Palatchi", who has become "a benchmark for creativity, wealth and job creation".
Another noteworthy benchmark in fostering tradition and modernity, according to the President of the Government, is María Teresa Rodríguez. "From her roots as the owner of a biscuit factory in Aguilar de Campoo, she has found a way to expand and diversify a family business with almost 125 years of history in an exemplary manner, such that it now successfully exports to more than 80 countries".
On another note, Mariano Rajoy mentioned the work of the Galician Federation of Redeiras Artesás 'O Peirao' for its contribution to "the conservation and revitalisation of a very Spanish heritage and for making our fishing fleet an international synonym for excellence and quality". "These women have been working on the nets of our vessels around the world for centuries and it is only right and fair to acknowledge this".
The medals awarded, added the President of the Government, also recognise those who have strived to improve the quality of work, including Alfredo Montoya Melgar, one of the great jurists in employment law, who "has devoted his life to the study and development of the Social Security system in Spain", and has enabled us "to have an advanced corpus of employment law at this time, the like of which exists in very few countries in the world".
Gratitude to the trade unions
Pool Moncloa/Diego Crespo
In his speech, Mariano Rajoy also referred to the role of the trade unions in joining forces and fostering social dialogue. "It is always necessary to recall that this social dialogue is a key instrument in our economic policy that time and time again has managed to lead to good results, including in the toughest of times", he stated.
The President of the Government argued that the trade unions have also contributed to maintaining one of the best pension systems in the world, and of course, to growth and job creation".
On this point, he thanked Cándido Méndez and José María Fidalgo for their "generosity and forward thinking". Both of them, "with their different personalities and with their proven and sound track-records", have made a commitment to "the challenge of employment, the fight against unemployment and the rights of Spanish workers".
"I should not forget to mention such milestones as the signing of the 2nd Agreement on Employment and Collective Bargaining, a cornerstone of our exit from the crisis, the driver of the Strategy for Entrepreneurship and Youth Employment and the Agreement to strengthen economic growth and employment which have served so well to support various social programmes during these last few years", he added.
Mariano Rajoy ended his speech by addressing the award-winners, "People like you are called on to inspire us all, particularly the younger generations because your successes are hard fought. Your work is a driver of the expansion of talent, wealth and employment".
Pool Moncloa / Fernando Calvo