Luis M Linde: Spain's current macroeconomic setting and economic outlook

Appearance by Mr Luis M Linde, Governor of the Bank of Spain, before the Senate in relation to the Draft State Budget for 2017 Madrid, 6 June 2017.

The views expressed in this speech are those of the speaker and not the view of the BIS.

Central bank speech  | 
29 June 2017

Ladies and gentlemen,

In my appearance, which forms part of this Chamber's discussion and approval of the State budget for 2017, I shall begin by reviewing the current macroeconomic setting and outlook for the Spanish economy. I shall then analyse the main aspects of the State budget for this year, according to the draft Law approved by the Government on 31 March, and the Updated Stability Programme for the period 2017-2020, submitted by the Council of Ministers to the European Commission on 29 April.

The external environment of the Spanish economy

The current international economic setting is characterised by an increase in uncertainty, chiefly the outcome of the political changes in the past year in the United States and the United Kingdom. However, that does not appear to have exerted a significant influence, so far, on the real economy, or on the financial markets. Both have continued to perform favourably and, despite rising in the final months of 2016, interest rates are holding at stillmoderate levels at all terms. The main exception to this climate of relative stability has been oil prices, which have been highly volatile in recent months.