Pedro Sánchez: "Spain is making progress and this government will continue to deliver. We have energy and determination and we will give our best in this second half of the legislature"

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during the press conference to present the report "Cumpliendo" (Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, stressed that, although much remains to be done, today "Spain is progressing well above the European average and is a considerably better country than it was seven years ago": "It is more cohesive, less unequal, more prosperous, growing in a fair way, and facing the challenges of the present with solutions that look to the future". "This Government is good for Spain. This Government benefits the Spanish people," and for that reason, "we feel full of energy and determination" and "we will give our best in this second half of the legislature", he said.

Sánchez pointed out that we have challenges ahead, especially in reducing inequality and improving access to housing, but "we have resources, we have ideas, the will to face them, a very good team at the helm, and two more years to make it a reality". "And if to do so we have to put up with campaigns of personal harassment, lies, in short, mudslinging, I will. We will," he added. We will do it," he added. "I am very clear about the historical moment in which our country, Europe, and the world find themselves. I know what my responsibility is. And I will not shirk it," he affirmed.

At a press conference at the Moncloa Palace, reviewing the last six months of the year and presenting the new accountability report "Cumpliendo", Sánchez emphasised that Spain is not the "grey and divided country that some insist on portraying or to which others want to return". "The real Spain opens its businesses every morning; it grows and creates jobs daily; it embraces diversity; it welcomes and integrates those who come from abroad in search of a better future; it raises its voice fearlessly in the world, in defence of peace and justice; it is tolerant, pluralistic, and open". "It is, in short, a Spain that believes in itself. And neither the noise nor the tension will overshadow that conviction, because this Government will continue to deliver", he affirmed.

At the parliamentary level, and despite the arithmetic complexity of passing the various initiatives, Pedro Sánchez emphasised that, although "we don't have large majorities, there are significant results for the majority of our country's population". In this regard, he stressed that "in these two years we have won 91% of the votes in Parliament, we have passed 52 laws, and we have promoted historic measures that are giving Spain the best economic, social, and environmental results it has seen in decades".

Decisive action against sexual harassment and corruption

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during the press conference to present the report "Cumpliendo" | Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

The head of the Executive began his address by referring to the corruption cases and alleged sexual harassment that have come to light in recent days.

Sánchez stressed that "the government's commitment to feminism is absolute". "Have we made mistakes? As we all do. But all the progress made in gender equality has always been achieved under progressive governments", he added, and therefore, "we will take no lessons from those who vote against these advances and appeal them to the Constitutional Court, from those who question violence against women or make deals with those who question it".

The president asserted that, regarding the corruption cases currently under investigation, "the Government and my party have acted decisively, not with complicity. Transparency, not opacity. By cooperating with the Justice system and the State law enforcement forces and agencies, and not by obstructing their work as happened in the past".

Economic and employment progress and strengthening the welfare state

During his speech, he outlined the main advances and achievements promoted by the progressive government since the beginning of the legislature. Achievements that "have not occurred by chance," nor are they a static legacy cultivated in the previous legislature, but rather "the result of perseverance, consistency, and the existence of a progressive coalition government. They are also the result of the daily effort made in recent months by the citizens, businesses, and public administrations of the country, including, of course, the central government".

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during the press conference to present the report "Cumpliendo" | Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Regarding the economy and employment, in addition to detailing the "magnificent" macroeconomic data, Sánchez pointed out that, "in this semester and in a difficult context with the war in Ukraine and the trade wars, Spain has continued to be-as it was last year-one of the most prosperous economies in the West". Although he acknowledged that "there is still much to be done" and that "too many people still live in precarious conditions and deprivation", he considered it "undeniable" that "we are on the right track to solving these problems and that the solution lies in the government's redistributive policies", "not in the cuts and precariousness promoted by the right and far right where they govern".

With regard to the second priority, strengthening the Welfare State, Sánchez affirmed that the government's main objective is to protect the middle and working classes, and in that context, he cited several of the policies approved in the areas of healthcare, education, equality, women's rights, the strengthening of social benefits, and housing.

Fixed-price public transport pass for travel throughout Spain

To ensure affordable mobility, Sánchez announced the approval, at the last Council of Ministers meeting of the year, of a royal decree-law that, in addition to extending transport subsidies, will create a single transport pass valid throughout the country. This will "forever change the way Spaniards understand and use public transport".

This measure, which will come into effect in the second half of January, will allow all citizens to obtain a pass "with which to travel throughout the country and use all medium-distance trains, commuter trains, and state-run bus services for a flat rate of €60 per month for adults and €30 for young people under 26". The intention is that all regional and local public transport networks will gradually be integrated into this national system, thus facilitating affordable access to public transport throughout the country.

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, during the press conference to present the report "Cumpliendo" | Pool Moncloa / Borja Puig de la Bellacasa

Thanks to this single, fixed-rate travel pass, he gave the example of a worker who commutes daily from Vigo to Santiago or from Jerez to Seville, who will be able to save up to almost 60% of their monthly public transport costs. And, in addition, they will be able to travel throughout Spain by bus and commuter and regional trains. "We're talking about two million people who will find it easier each month to get around: to their jobs, to their homes, to their daily lives. This is what governing is all about: making what's important easier for ordinary people", he remarked.

Combating climate change, territorial cohesion and an ambitious foreign policy

With regard to the legislature's third priority, climate change adaptation and mitigation, Sánchez reiterated that "the fight against climate change is not a matter of ideology, it is a matter of survival" and that this government will never turn a blind eye to this challenge. Therefore, the Executive continues to advocate for a major State Pact for the Climate Emergency, which is being developed over recent months with civil society and expert organisations in the field. And whose new draft, enriched after this period of active consultation, we will be presenting the day after tomorrow "with the hope that the majority of parliamentary groups will embrace it and support it".

On the fourth priority, greater territorial cohesion and the strengthening of our democratic institutions, he recalled the normalisation of the situation in Catalonia with the approval of the amnesty law, which "is legal, legitimate and is yielding results"; the transfer of more resources than ever to the Autonomous Communities, and the approval of the State Plan to Combat Corruption.

Finally, the president referred to the implementation of an ambitious foreign policy, based on three principles: coherence in our international action, strengthening multilateralism, and a firm commitment to peace and solidarity. He highlighted the recognition of the State of Palestine, the arms embargo on Israel, and the more than €2 billion in aid to Ukraine.

Non official translation