Sánchez reiterates the Government's commitment to the social majority, coexistence, dialogue and the fight against corruption

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during one of his speeches at the Executive control session held in the Lower House of Parliament (Pool Congreso)

In the Executive's control session in the Lower House, the head of the Executive responded with a "resounding yes" to the question posed by the PP minister Alberto Núñez Feijóo on whether Spaniards can trust his word. "A yes to fulfilling my promise to the Constitution, to govern for the social majority of our country and in the general interest, a yes also to coexistence, a yes to the fight against corruption and a yes to reaching agreements with the different political groupings", he said.

With regard to the meeting he will hold with the leader of the opposition next Friday in the Lower House, the president defended the search for agreements on important matters for the citizens as a whole. Specifically, he referred to the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary, in compliance with the Constitution; to the reform of Article 49 of the Constitution, relating to the protection and promotion of the rights of people with disabilities; and to the start of negotiations on the regional funding system.

The Executive, he added, is open to dialogue "always, wherever, whenever and however it is wanted". "All I ask is that you put aside the insults and behave with some civility and politeness," he said.

In his assessment of the first days of the Government, Pedro Sánchez mentioned the approval of the parity bill, the culmination of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the European Union with a reform of the electricity market that benefits households, consumers, industries and companies, the aid package for Spanish science worth 1 billion euros and the guarantee of the 3.8% pension revaluation. He also pointed out that the Executive is negotiating with trade unions to raise the minimum wage.

Dialogue and Constitution

The president of the Government of Spain has advocated coexistence, dialogue and overcoming political conflicts "with words, with the rule of law, with the Constitution and with the ability to negotiate between different people".

In his reply to María José Rodríguez, a member of the VOX parliamentary group, Pedro Sánchez recalled that ETA ceased to exist more than two years ago and that it was "defeated by democracy". "It was a Socialist Party president, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a Socialist home affairs minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, and a Socialist Basque leader, Patxi Lopez, who did it", said Sánchez, who also vindicated the memory of the PSOE militants "in very difficult moments in the political history of our country".

Mortgage relief measures

In response to the minister of the Republican Parliamentary Group Gabriel Rufián, who asked about the Government's measures to guarantee the right to housing for people with mortgages, Pedro Sánchez affirmed that, as stated in the Government agreement between the PSOE and Sumar, the measures established in the Code of Good Practices for 2022 have been extended, the aim of which is to protect indebted families by providing greater coverage and protection in the face of the significant increase in interest rates.

The president detailed that the maximum income threshold will be raised to 38,000 euros per year so that those affected by the rise in mortgages can access mortgage relief measures.

In addition, the elimination of early fees will be extended to mortgage changes and exemptions will be extended to mixed mortgages, in response to requests from consumer associations. It also includes a 12-month freeze on mortgage repayments.

Pedro Sánchez considers that these measures will help to alleviate the situation of mortgage holders until the downwards trend of the Euribor translates into a reduction of monthly payments.

In relation to housing policy, the president announced that the Executive wants to offer 184,000 public housing units over the next few years and to make an investment, through European funds, to rehabilitate and renovate urban environments and housing. It will also articulate initiatives for the Instituto de Crédito Oficial to guarantee 20% of the deposit that many young people and families without resources need to buy a home.

Non official translation