Alberto Garzón (Logroño, 1985) has brought images of the execution of community leaders and Rafael del Riego to his ministerial office, but he maintains on one of the walls an image of Felipe VI that was found upon arrival.

The OECD places Spain at the head of the global economic collapse How to get out of this crisis? The priority we have met is the deployment of a great social shield that protects working families, but now the economy must be reactivated. This is urgent, but at the same time, we must prepare to change the model of our economy and be able to reindustrialize our country. Do the stimulus measures taken so far seem sufficient to you? Governments have had a margin thanks to heterodox measures from a European Central Bank that has avoided a debt crisis, but we have to be more ambitious. The steps that are being taken in the European Union are positive, but we have to be aware that the economic impact has been very important and the stimulus must be just as important. How to achieve the re-industrialization that you mention? It is that if we want to approach Germany's wage levels must have a production structure with more technological intensity and a higher content of knowledge. It is a long process, but if we don't reinvent ourselves at a time like this, when are we going to do it? That is why we must invest more in innovation, in education and use the instruments of the State for an industrial policy that has hardly been used in 40 years. . A State Pact is needed for industry or for reindustrialization. It is an extraordinary moment in which, in the end, the Government does not change the production model, companies do. The government must set practical goals to make the advanced goods sector more relevant, and that is only possible by looking beyond the next elections. If we continue to commit ourselves to the old model, it will be difficult to combat precariousness. What you say is that companies and not the government are changing the production model does not sound very communist. Have you changed your mind since you became a minister? Absolutely. As an economist trained in the communist tradition, I understand the need for a solid and diversified productive structure. We cannot depend on a single sector, we need sectors with high added value. In the old experiences of the so-called real socialism they were able to understand that it is not about distributing poverty, but about creating wealth. For this, the key is industrial policy. When I talk to technology companies and big companies, I see levels of agreement that are much higher than what I see in Parliament, but do you still feel communist? Yes, I still feel that way. Communism is a political and social movement for the transformation of reality that continues to be valid. Without it there would be no democracy in Spain, it is in the DNA of the democratic tradition of this country and I am very honored to belong to it. But for me it is not a question of the past, but of how we are able to crystallize all these identities in a project for the future. What interests me is what economy we are going to leave to subsequent generations.- Isn't it contradictory to your communist thinking to say that private companies are reindustrializing the country? The recent experience of industrialization in Asian countries, for example, shows that the best way to improve the living conditions of a country is not only the participation of technology companies, but the push and even the participation of the State. We are seeing it these days for the rescue of some companies. I would like the participation of the State not only to socialize losses, but to design a better future. And that lever can also be used by the State. But you do not propose a broad nationalization plan to achieve this change of model, do you? The reasonable thing is to see case by case. When dealing with a bankrupt company, you have to assess why it is. In the automotive sector, for example, where there are underlying reasons, you have to see the best options, simplistic solutions do not work. We have to analyze what place it occupies in the global value chain, where decisions are made ... But I do believe that Spain must assume all the instruments that are available and we have the Sepi [State Society of Industrial Participations] with companies in which the State that could play a very important role to revitalize and promote this industrial plan, but does not believe that Nissan, which is a multinational in Japan, can be nationalized, right? Production is enormously fragmented and we must examine what place in the chain corresponds to each production unit and see what suits best. I am not able to give an answer because I have not studied this specific case. Is it possible to make an agreement with Citizens, for example, this reindustrialization that you mention? In this question I believe that there may be common spaces. Because Pablo Iglesias rules out pacts with Citizens to talk about the new economic model and says that you have to do it with the left ... It will depend on what we are dealing with. It is more difficult to agree on taxation with the PP, for example, but why not on industrial policy? This is not about partisan struggles. This is going to achieve higher wages in Spain. Do you understand that wages are lower in Spain than in Germany or is there exploitation, let's say, by employers? The Government does not decree wages, they have their training within each company depending on different variables. The central element is the productive structure. If Germany pays more it is not because we Spaniards are more lazy, but that its companies with high technological intensity can afford higher wages and benefits. That has a drag effect. We have to be able to modernize ourselves How to get public money for all this with a debt that can reach 130%? There are countries like Italy and Japan that have reached a level of 200%. The key is in the ability to face that debt and grow. If you stick to abruptly reducing deficit and debt levels, it is most likely a much more regrettable economic situation, but as the deficit soars, do you rule out cuts in this legislature? It is triggered by automatic stabilizers and a new investment. , but without it and without the European response the deficit would be much higher. If we do a good design of the European stimulus, it will generate enough income to reduce the deficit as a consequence of growth. If reducing the deficit is the priority objective, it destroys the economy. Therefore, you see the future deficit reduction via more income and not through cutting expenses ... Of course and you have to make a double effort in income to recover the activity economic and an additional one to improve the collection capacity for the change of model. With the taxes specified in the coalition government's program such as the Google Rate, it is not even close to reducing the deficit that is being generated ... There are many pending tasks In the fiscal area, but the European stimulus is yet to be clarified. Do you maintain your plan to raise taxes on junk food? We have a comprehensive plan to encourage healthy consumption that incorporates a tax area with the Ministry of Finance, among others. Also the front labeling with clear information so that the consumer knows well what he is consuming. In other countries they have been anticipated. Also in communities such as Catalonia, the tax experience on sugary drinks has been positive. But these are not taxes to collect. With what taxes should there be collection purposes? The direct ones that are the fairest and are paid according to income. It should be the backbone of the tax system, but unfortunately indirect taxes have been increasingly important in recent decades. These are paid the same by Ana Patricia Botín as an unemployed person and that is not fair. Should we take up the bank tax? In the next Budgets we will have to consider incorporating the bank tax as a possibility. Banks have a patriotic debt with the rest of the country. She received a ransom that we are not going to recover. Several organizations are already asking for a medium-term adjustment plan to give a signal of confidence to the market ... The market is not the problem. The European Central Bank is dealing. The problem is the levels of unemployment and lack of activity. What needs to be done is a stimulus plan that allows the economy to relaunch. To return to austerity policies is to sink it. Does Calviño agree that it is "absurd and counterproductive" to speak now of repealing the labor reform? The repeal of the labor reform is an agreement of the coalition government and has to be fulfilled. In addition, it incorporates elements from the austerity menu that we are against. Of course, it must be repealed in dialogue with the social partners. What if the CEOE does not accept agreements to repeal it? The Government naturally has its prerogative to legislate, but the priority is to reach agreements. There is no need to anticipate events, how is the dialogue working within the coalition government in the economic area? It is obvious that it is a coalition government in which there are differences, but we are able to reach consensus for the benefit of all, and when the differences are insurmountable, do the United Nations abide by the vision of Vice President Calviño? We have never reached a vote, which suggests that there is sensitivity to the approaches made by the rest. But there is contrast, for example, in the forceful action you have taken of Bring 17 airlines to court over ticket refunds and passivity from the Ministry of Transport ... I don't know if there is a contrast. What I do know are different skills. In the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, we have seen that a bad practice was being exercised by some airlines: they did not offer the information in a clear way about the rights of consumers established by the European regulation and that in the event of cancellation, they must offer reimbursement of the ticket in seven days. We made a request to correct that information to the airlines, but most ignored it. That is why we decided to take the case to court so that the citizens of this country have their right protected by this Ministry. In Iberia they declare themselves "perplexed" with you and deny that they have not listened to your letter ... with communications, but to understand that consumers must be well informed. I understand that airlines have another strategy, but you have to comply with the law. Iberia has requested support from the State, would you condition it to comply with the regulations? It is that complying with the law is not conditioned and for many families it is an important budget. You do not believe that tourism should be so dependent on how much weight should tourism lose in the new economic model? The tourism sector has to grow in absolute terms to protect jobs and the sector. It is a time for the Spanish to help national tourism. But for most tourism companies, the fact that our country changes its model and has reindustrialisation benefits them, because a new structure will benefit other sectors of the economy. There is no confrontation but synergies. Will you also act with customer services with the telephone number 902? We want to reform these services to protect consumers from certain abuses that may occur. We are designing a program for the next semester. Do you agree with having already repealed the limitation on the advertising of the game in football? The limitation was an extraordinary measure that, like the other measures, has its own de-escalation. The important thing is that we have learned that the limitation of advertising has effects on the consumption of the game that can lead to problems. Now we develop the Royal Decree that is being valued in the EU and we hope that in the coming months it can be implemented so that it has been extraordinary, it can be permanent. Are there so many pressures that it receives in this Ministry? Consumption affects many Multinationals and many disagree with our political line, but this Ministry will never compromise on our political objectives. That's what they voted for us for.

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