Pedro Sánchez affirms that the Government defends the interests of all Spaniards

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has also maintained that the care of unaccompanied minors must be guided by respect for human rights, the distribution of powers and solidarity among the regional governments.

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

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

During his appearance in the control session held in the Lower House of Parliament, Pedro Sánchez reiterated that the Government is making progress in the consolidation of rights, in coexistence and in the reunion of all Spaniards.

In response to the People's Party MP Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the head of the Executive argued that he is working to defend the general interests of all Spaniards. He pointed out that 21 million people are national insurance contributors, compared to fewer than 19 million when he took office in 2018. Ten million women are working and are contributors, one out of every two new contracts is stable, the Spanish economy is growing five times more than that of the Eurozone in a geopolitical context as complex as the current one, and ten million pensioners have seen their benefits revalued, he said.

In addition, the president pointed out that Spaniards enjoy the cleanest and cheapest energy in Europe, the tourism sector is breaking records - 10 million tourists have been recorded between January and February - and foreign direct investment in Spain has also reached its best records in the last five years. Sánchez also indicated that the Government is meeting its public debt forecasts, and the public deficit is at 3.7%, below that of countries such as France (5.5%) and Italy (7.7%).

On the other hand, Pedro Sánchez stressed that a period of coexistence and reunion has begun, as opposed to the breakdown of institutional order in previous periods.

Navarre grows and creates jobs

In the same vein, Pedro Sánchez responded to the Unión del Pueblo Navarro MP, Alberto Catalán, that the Government is facing the challenges of the Autonomous Community of Navarre just as it does in the State as a whole. "There are the results of our policies, the transformation of the productive system, also in Navarre, digitalisation and the reduction of inequality, the advances in rights and coexistence", he stressed.

The president stressed that the Gross Domestic Product per capita in Navarre is growing 8.9%, while in 2018 it was growing at 1.9%. And the total number of unemployed people in that community stands at the lowest figure for a month of March since 2018, i.e. before the financial crisis.

Equitable reception of unaccompanied minors

Pedro Sánchez has defended the response that the Government is giving to the situation of minors arriving in Spain unaccompanied by their families, a question raised by Aitor Esteban, a member of the Basque Parliamentary Group. An action, he said, which is based on the distribution of competences between administrations as established by law, compliance with international agreements, respect for human rights and the best interests of the child.

The president highlighted two specific Government initiatives in this area. Firstly, the reform in October 2021 of the documentation procedure for unaccompanied minors, "which has allowed us to avoid the transition to a supervening administrative irregularity when they turn 18"; a measure that has benefited nearly 18,000 people. Secondly, the Migration and Asylum Pact reached last year in the European Union under the Spanish presidency of the EU Council.

With regard to the arrival of thousands of these minors in the Canary Islands in recent months, Pedro Sánchez acknowledged the great effort that the regional government is making to care for them. Furthermore, he explained that the Executive is maintaining "permanent dialogue to carry out regulatory amendments that promote solidarity among all regional governments in the reception of these minors with the aim of making it more equitable".

Non official translation

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• Economy