COMING UP IN A FEW MINUTES AT
9:00 A.M.
MIKA?
>> THANK YOU, STEPHANIE.
>>> THE GLOBAL MARKET IS WORKING
ON MAKING A COMEBACK FROM THE
PANDEMIC.
ONE COUNTRY TO WATCH IS SPAIN.
THE PRIME MINISTER OF SPAIN
PEDRO SANCHEZ IS HERE, IN THE
U.S., ADVOCATING FOR GLOBAL
COOPERATION IN MEETINGS WITH
BUSINESS LEADERS SUCH AS APPLES
TIM COOK AND PRIME MINISTER
SANCHEZ IS OUR GUEST.
THANK YOU FOR MAKING "MORNING
JOE" ONE OF YOUR FIRST STOPS ON
YOUR AMERICAN TOUR.
AND I NOTE THAT YOURE GOING TO
NEW YORK, LOS ANGELES, SAN
FRANCISCO, CUPERTINO, I
MENTIONED A LITTLE BIT OF WHY,
BUT IF YOU COULD EXPLAIN MORE
ABOUT THE PURPOSE OF YOUR VISIT
HERE TO THE U.S. AND WHY NOT
WASHINGTON?
>> WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I BELIEVE THAT IN THE AFTERMATH
OF THE PANDEMIC IN SPAIN WE ARE
NOW DEFINING OUR ROAD MAP FOR
THE MODERNIZATION OF OUR
ECONOMY.
AND FOR THAT WE NEED AND WE
WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THE U.S.
PRIVATE SECTOR ON BOARD.
AND THAT IS WHY WERE HERE.
WE ARE GOING TO MEET VERY
IMPORTANT INVESTMENT FOLKS, ALSO
FLYING TO L.A., SAN FRANCISCO.
I THINK WERE IN EUROPE IN SPAIN
ESPECIALLY WERE LEADING
MOMENTUM AFTER THE PANDEMIC, WE
HAVE PUBLIC INVESTMENTS TO MAKE
GREENER OUR ECONOMY, TO
DIGITALIZE OUR ECONOMY, TO
MODERNIZE OUR EDUCATIONAL
SYSTEM, AND THEREFORE WE LOOK
FORWARD TO ENGAGE PRIVATE
INVESTMENTS IN SPAIN.
>> SO IT IS HARD NOT TO TALK
ABOUT THE ECONOMY, WHETHER IT BE
THE WORLD ECONOMY, OR SPAINS
ECONOMY, WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT
THE PANDEMIC.
WHERE DOES SPAIN STAND IN TERMS
OF CORONAVIRUS?
>> WELL, WE HAVE HIGH FIGURES
TODAY UNFORTUNATELY.
THATS WHY WERE CALLING FOR
PRUDENCE, TO BE PRUDENT IN
SPAIN.
BUT FORTUNATELY WE ARE NOT
HAVING ANY KIND OF REJECTION
MOVEMENT AGAINST THE
VACCINATION.
50% OF OUR POPULATION IS FULLY
VACCINATED.
WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO REACH
70% OF OUR POPULATION BEFORE THE
END OF SUMMER, VACCINATED.
SO, YOU KNOW, VACCINATION MEANS,
OF COURSE, ECONOMIC REBOUND.
THIS IS WHAT WE ARE WITNESSING
AND HOW IT IS IS IN SPAIN, BUT
WHAT WE DONT WANT IS TO GET TO
THE PREVIOUS STAGE OF THE
PANDEMIC.
WE UNDERSTOOD THAT
DIGITALIZATION, THAT ECOLOGICAL
TRANSITIONS ARE THE MAIN
REVOLUTIONS WE HAVE TO FACE.
AND WE WANTED TO DO IT IN A VERY
INCLUSIVE WAY.
SOCIAL, TERRITORIAL AND ALSO ON
GENDER EQUALITY BECAUSE
UNFORTUNATELY WOMEN ARE VERY
TOUCHED AND HARPED EDHARMED BECA
THIS PANDEMIC.
>> I WANT TO ASK YOU ABOUT THE
NUMBERS YOU SAY ARE STILL HIGH.
YOU SAY THERE IS NO REJECTION
MOVEMENT TO VACCINES.
EXPLAIN WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT
AND THEN WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
IS IT GETTING VACCINES TO THE
PEOPLE?
IS IT STILL ACTUALLY A PHYSICAL
PROBLEM?
>> NO, IT IS NOT.
WHAT WE -- WHAT WE DID IN OUR
VACCINATION CAMPAIGN IS TO FOCUS
ON THOSE GENERATIONS THAT ARE
MORE VULNERABLE, SO TO SAY, TO
THE COVID-19.
NOW IT IS MAINLY AMONG THE
YOUTH.
THOSE GENERATIONS THAT
UNFORTUNATELY DIDNT HAVE THE
CHANCE TO GET THE VACCINE, BUT
FORTUNATELY WE ARE NOW OPENING
THAT VACCINATION CAMPAIGN TO OUR
YOUTH AND THEYRE RESPONDING
QUITE POSITIVELY.
WERE CONFIDENT WERE GOING TO
REACH THAT GOAL.
70%, TO GET THE GROUP IMMUNITY
THAT OUR SCIENTIFIC TEAM IS
LOOKING FORWARD.
SO WE ARE VERY CONFIDENT AND,
YOU KNOW, THE DEBATE THAT WE ARE
FACING NOT ONLY HERE, BUT IN THE
U.S. AND ELSEWHERE IS, YOU KNOW,
WE ARE FACING A KIND OF
IDEOLOGICAL BATTLE, PARTISAN
BATTLES WHEN WE ARE FACING IS A
GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE.
SO THE MAJOR MISTAKE THAT US
POLITICIAN COULD DO IS TO
IDEALIZE THIS PANDEMIC FIGHT
THAT WERE FACING.
SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT A
QUESTION OF PROGRESSIVES, OF
CONSERVATIVE, THIS IS A PUBLIC
HEALTH MATTER, PUBLIC HEALTH
QUESTION, AND IT IS VERY
IMPORTANT TO TELL OUR PEOPLE,
OUR CITIZENS THAT WE NEED TO BE
SAFE AND WE HAVE TO GET VACCINE
BECAUSE THE VACCINE IS SAFE, AND
IT PROTECTS US AGAINST THE
VIRUS.
>> MR. PRIME MINISTER, THANKS
FOR BEING HERE.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS BEEN IN
OFFICE NOW FOR SIX MONTHS.
HE MADE HIS FIRST TRIP TO EUROPE
A FEW WEEKS AGO.
HIS MESSAGE WAS AMERICA IS BACK.
I WANT TO GET YOUR ASSESSMENT OF
THAT.
HOW DO YOU COMPARE AND CONTRAST
THIS ADMINISTRATION TO HIS
PREDECESSOR AND IN PARTICULARLY
ON THE ISSUE OF CLIMATE CHANGE,
IS SPAIN DOING ENOUGH?
IS THE UNITED STATES DOING
ENOUGH?
>> I THINK THAT WHEN PRESIDENT
BIDEN SAYS AMERICAS BACK, I
THINK IT IS GOOD NEWS, NOT ONLY
FOR YOU, BUT ALSO FOR THE WORLD.
BECAUSE ON THE CLIMATE CHALLENGE
THAT WE FACE, IT IS IMPORTANT TO
HAVE THE U.S. ON BOARD.
SO, YOU KNOW, GOING BACK TO THE
PARIS AGREEMENT, I THINK IS A
GREAT NEWS FOR ALL.
IN EUROPE, WERE VERY COMMITTED
WITH THIS TRANSITION.
IN SPAIN WE ARE DEVOTING 40% OF
THE EUROPEAN FUNDS, WHICH MEANS
FROM MY COUNTRY, $162 BILLION
FOR THE NEXT SIX YEARS, DEVOTING
40% TO ECOLOGICAL -- AND 28% TO
DIGITALIZATION.
WHICH MEANS IN THE END THE SAME
BECAUSE THESE TRANSITIONS ARE
COMPLETELY LINKED.
I THINK IT IS GREAT NEWS.
I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT
AFTER THIS PANDEMIC THAT THE
RELATIONS BETWEEN THE U.S. AND
THE EUROPEAN UNION, YOU KNOW,
ARE MORE CLOSE OR IN THE FUTURE,
AND UNFORTUNATELY THE SITUATION
THAT WE HAVE BEFORE WITH THE
PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION, THE
U.S. ADMINISTRATION WAS, YOU
KNOW, I WOULD SAY VERY DIFFICULT
TO UNDERSTAND, TO SEE A
PRESIDENT OF THE U.S. SAY THAT
EUROPEAN UNION IS A KIND OF
ENEMY, AGAINST THE U.S.
INTERESTS, I THINK IT WAS
COMPLETELY A MISTAKE.
>> WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS --
PRESIDENT BIDEN WAS IN EUROPE AT
THE G7, HE WAS WARMLY RECEIVED.
THERE WERE A FEW AREAS OF
FRICTION, IN PARTICULAR ON
RELATIONS WITH CHINA, WHERE
PRESIDENT BIDEN DEFINED THE
RIVALRY WITH CHINA AS DEFINING
ECONOMIC ONE OF THE CENTURY,
SUGGESTING THE DEMOCRACIES OF
THE WORLD NEED TO PROVE THEY CAN
STILL DO BIG THINGS TO COMPETE
WITH CHINA.
WHERE DOES YOUR COUNTRY STAND
WITH ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH
CHINA?
DO YOU THINK PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS
A POINT OR IS THIS A PARTNER
YOURE WILLING TO DEAL WITH?
>> I THINK HE HAS A POINT.
CHINA FOR US AS EUROPEANS MEANS
A COMPETITOR, AND ALSO A RIVAL,
A SYSTEMIC RIVAL ON THE
DEMOCRATIC VALUES.
BUT IT IS ALSO TRUE THAT WE NEED
TO SPEAK WITH THEM, WE NEED TO
OPEN DIALOGUE WITH THEM ON MAJOR
CHALLENGES, GLOBAL CHALLENGES
THAT WE HAVE, FOR INSTANCE.,.
BUT WE UNDERSTOOD SOMETHING
AFTER THE PANDEMIC IS ONE OF THE
LESSONS IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE
DIGITALIZATION, THE IMPORTANCE
OF CYBERSECURITY.
THATS WHY IN SPAIN WE ARE
LOOKING FORWARD TO BE LIKE A
KIND OF GLOBAL LEADER ON
CYBERSECURITY.
WE ARE DEVOTING MORE OR LESS
OVER $600 MILLION APART FROM --
$4 BILLION ON DIGITALIZATION,
AND I THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT
TO, YOU KNOW, TO STRENGTHEN OUR
CYBERSECURITY SYSTEM IN SPAIN
AND EUROPE AND OF COURSE
ELSEWHERE.
>> MR. PRIME MINISTER, BEFORE
YOU GO, JUST LOOKING AT SOME
NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED
TO ME ABOUT WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
IN SPAIN, SPAIN HAS THE HIGHEST
SHARE OF WOMEN IN ANY GOVERNMENT
IN THE WORLD, 63.6%.
ALL THREE VPs ARE WOMEN.
DOES THIS TRANSLATE TO OTHER
ASPECTS OF SPANISH LIFE,
BUSINESS, EDUCATION?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
ABSOLUTELY.
WERE VERY PROUD.
WE PASS A LAW ON EQUAL PAYMENT
BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN.
ALSO WE ARE VERY COMMITTED
AGAINST GENDER VIOLENCE.
WE ALSO INCREASE THE MINIMUM
WAGE BY OVER 30% IN LAST YEAR,
SOMEBODY SAID IT WAS VERY
IMPORTANT FOR WOMEN.
AND ALSO WHAT WE DID, IT WAS TO
INCREASE MATERNITY AND PATERNITY
LEAVE FOR BOTH PARENTS OVER 16
WEEKS.
SO WERE VERY COMMITTED WITH
GENDER EQUALITY.
WE DONT UNDERSTAND THESE, YOU
KNOW, POLITICAL MOVEMENTS THAT
TRY TO IDENTIFY THE CHALLENGE
AND COMMITMENT TO A KIND OF
IDEOLOGICAL QUESTION.
THIS IS NOT AN IDEOLOGICAL
QUESTION.
THIS IS A FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION.
THIS IS HUMAN RIGHTS QUESTION.
AND THAT IS WHY IM REALLY PROUD
THAT MY COUNTRY IS SO VERY
COMMITTED WITH GENDER EQUALITY.
>> YOU SAID YOU PASSED EQUAL PAY
LAWS.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
HOW ARE THEY ENFORCED?
>> IT IS.
IT IS GETTING BETTER.
UNFORTUNATELY WOMEN ARE, YOU
KNOW, RECEIVING LESS SALARIES
THAN LOWER SALARIES THAN MEN,
BUT STILL WE HAVE THAT PUBLIC
COMMITMENT AND WERE SPEAKING
WITH THE COMPANIES, WE ARE ALSO
SPEAKING WITH THE MAJOR
COMPANIES IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW,
FIRST TO HAVE THESE EQUAL
RETRIBUTION AND, OF COURSE, TO
HAVE MORE PRESENCE OF WOMEN ON
THE BOARDS, SO TO SAY.
>> ALL RIGHT, PRIME MINISTER OF