00:00Now it's been about two months since the mass arrival in Ceuta, beyond what has circulated on social media.
00:05Do you now know whether any state or organization facilitated what you called an attack on Spanish sovereignty?
00:13We're still investigating what happened those days, but there's some certainties.
00:20The first one is the economic gap between one side of the border and the other side of the border,
00:26between Morocco and Spain.
00:28Second, the use of social media to expand misinformation about the situation in Spain and Ceuta.
00:38And last but not least, a border control mechanism that has to be improved by both sides, of course Spain
00:47and of course Morocco.
00:49And with Morocco we have a great relationship.
00:52We cooperate on many issues, not only economically, but also fighting against terrorism.
00:57And of course fighting against smugglers and Urugula migration.
01:01So we have a very positive cooperation.
01:05We have asked for answers and also for actions, and they are certainly taking those actions.
01:11Prime Minister, there's also a shift, right, that's more towards the right in a lot of European countries.
01:16How do you explain that?
01:18Well, I think that the far right fits from legitimate anxieties of our societies.
01:25Inequality, I would say, is the main driver.
01:28The point here is that when they start to win elections and be in government,
01:36the change is from anger to disappointment.
01:41And this is what we are witnessing, for instance, in the last elections in Sweden,
01:46where the far right decreased its electoral support.
01:50So all in all, I think that the expansion of the far right in some countries, when they are in
01:58government,
01:59after four years, the people realize that they don't deliver for the ordinary people.
02:05And I think that the challenge that we have from centrist parties, central right, central left parties,
02:13is to deliver, especially when it comes to inequality.
02:16Is it a messaging problem or is it a policies problem?
02:19I also know that European leaders will discuss next month the trade deficit with China.
02:23How much of that will help? How would you deal with China today?
02:26It will be a hot topic.
02:27Because, of course, trade deficit, especially when it comes to the European Union,
02:32it is increasing last year, also this year.
02:37So it's going to be a hot topic.
02:38We are about to begin these trade talks with the Chinese government.
02:43From the Spanish perspective, and this is what I'm always defending around the European Council table,
02:51is, okay, we need to cooperate with China because we have common challenges,
02:55such as climate change or AI technology.
02:59Second, we need also to manage our differences.
03:03And precisely when it comes to trade deficit, I think it's so massive
03:09that it's not possible to absorb from the European economy,
03:13and that is why I think it's very important to manage this difference
03:15and to try to reach an agreement with the Chinese government.
03:19Do you think you'll have a concrete agreement,
03:22or is there anything that Europe needs to do today
03:24to really reduce the dependency on China?
03:26We need to reduce our dependency on China.
03:29We need also to reduce our rebalance our dependencies
03:32towards other economies, such as the U.S.
03:36And that is why I think it's very interesting what is going on in Brussels
03:40when it comes to our trade agreements, for instance, with Mercosur,
03:44with India, with Australia, with Indonesia, and so on and so forth.
03:49I think one of the main strengths that we have in the European Union
03:52is our willingness to open our economies and to bridge with other regions
03:59or other countries on economics, trade, investment, and so on and so forth.
04:05I mean, economically, it's tough because of the energy crisis.
04:08I mean, you've had good numbers in Spain.
04:10Yeah, well, I think this is the situation.
04:13Unfortunately, the war in Iran, again, the war in Ukraine is affecting all of us.
04:19That is why I don't understand why we are having this terrible war in Iran.
04:27Why don't we close this chapter?
04:29Why don't we try to reestablish a diplomatic relationship between the both sides?
04:37Why is it so hard, Prime Minister?
04:38I don't know.
04:39I think that there's a clear necessity of political will in order to reach that agreement.
04:50But meanwhile, we're suffering not only casualties,
04:55but also a rise of the cost of living, the gas prices, the diesel prices.
05:02And this is affecting not only households, industries, our economies,
05:07but also the public finances of many countries in the world.
05:12So, you know, I think that the big lessons that we have to take from Russia,
05:16Ukrainian war, and of course Iran war,
05:19is the need to electrify our economy.
05:22And this is something that we have been doing over the last eight years
05:26that I'm in office in Spain, thanks to renewals.
05:30Sixty percent of our electricity nowadays come from renewals,
05:34and we have by far one of the lowest electricity prices in Europe,
05:39thanks to this green transition.
05:41Prime Minister, two very quick questions.
05:43One on data centers.
05:44I mean, Spain has attracted quite a lot of investment in data centers.
05:48Are you expecting more?
05:49And again, are you disappointed that Europe doesn't have an AI champion?
05:52What we want is to have the best investments when it comes to data centers.
05:57And that means that they have to be engaged with this green transition,
06:02so they have to consume renewals.
06:05Second, it has to be an improvement on water management,
06:11which is, you know, an issue in all countries, especially in Spain,
06:16which unfortunately is suffering the consequences of climate change.
06:20And last but not least, also the data sovereignty, data security,
06:26when it comes to, you know, personal data from our citizens,
06:30precisely on health, security matters, and so on and so forth.
06:35So, you know, we have launched this public consultation in Spain.
06:40We are about to pass a royal decree that we call it in Spain,
06:46in order to define the framework for investing in Spain on data centers.
06:55And, Prime Minister, I know you're out of time,
06:56but just very quickly on the European Central Bank,
06:58because there's going to be shifts.
07:00We understand that Madame Lagarde may leave.
07:02Do you think it's time for a Spaniard to be at the top of the European Central Bank?
07:07And we hear the name of Pablo Hernando de Cos.
07:09Does he have your support?
07:11Of course. Of course, he has my support.
07:14I think that he has been an outstanding president of the Spanish Central Bank.
07:21I think that he has the leadership.
07:24He has also the capacity, the knowledge.
07:28And, of course, it would be, I think, very positive,
07:31not only for Spain, but also for Europe,
07:33to have someone like him leading the Central Bank.
07:37But this is something that, of course,
07:39we need to talk with the rest of members, states of the Eurozone.
07:43And, of course, it would be the first time
07:45that Spain leads this very important institution
07:49in these very complex and difficult moments.
07:51because of our reg was founding.
07:51Thank you, embers.
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