02 April, 2013

By VIVA Team

Spain PM Mariano Rajoy says that his government's reforms will help the people soon

Rafts of reforms, heaps of austerity and deep spending cuts have shaped Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy’s year so far. But in the face of mounting pressure and protests from the people of Spain, Rajoy has moved to reassure the populace that improvement is imminent by declaring that the positive effects of the government’s actions will be felt soon.

“The reforms have still not reached the people, but they will, and everything the government is doing is to that end: so the time will arrive when we have growth and employment, and you should have no doubt that this will happen,” said Rajoy, speaking recently in Brussels…

“It is important to turn round this situation of economic stagnation and return to a path of growth, which will help create jobs in order for Europe to be seen as an area of prosperity and wellbeing for our citizens.”

Despite the situation in Cyprus, Rajoy said he was confident that the eurozone would remain intact and that there was ‘firm political will and union’ throughout Europe to ensure that stability returns as soon as possible to the continent’s most beleaguered countries.

For the average Spaniard, the most pressing concerns are the length of the queues snaking from every Oficina de Empleo in the country, the rising cost of food and commodities, and job security.

Rajoy was keen to stress that unemployment – particularly youth unemployment – is the government’s chief priority, and reminded the audience of the ‘100 measures’ put in place to help alleviate the situation for millions of Spaniards.

Elsewhere, external observers have cautiously congratulated the government’s reform efforts, which have seen Spain’s export market strengthen, its property market stabilise and inward investment into the country increase.

As to when these positives begin to trickle down to the average Spaniard, only time will tell. But things are most certainly moving in the right direction.