Zapatero defended his government’s employment and pension reforms at the National Press Club of Tokyo yesterday (read the original article in Castellano here, El Pais). The proposed reforms address many aspects of employment and aim to bring Spain more in line with other European countries. The reforms will reduce the costs to companies when hiring and firing employees, giving them greater flexibility to deal with a difficult economic panorama. The government is also proposing to delay the pensionable age to 67 from the current 65. In order to qualify for a state pension a person will have had to work for 20 years instead of the current 15. Zapatero recognised that there would be short term “sacrifices” but that these were necessary for the country’s long-term economic recovery. But, he said, the majority of Spanish people understood that the measures were necessary for creating a sustainable future. Opposition from the unions was inevitable he accepted and the government would do its best to achieve social and political consensus where possible.