08/02/2012
http://prensa.fundacionfaes.org/2011/AZNAR+IV+CONGRESO+EXCELENCIA+FEBRERO+2012.JPG! He trusts that Spain will become again a role model to achieve excellence In his opinion, excellence cannot be understood as a synonym of exclusivity but as a social role model for all "The excellence we must seek is defined by comparison with the best" Madrid, 08.02.12.- Jos? Mar?a Aznar, former Prime Minister of Spain and President of the Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis (FAES), has declared that he is confident that Spain will become again a role model to achieve excellence. Furthermore, he stated that fortunately, Spain has recovered its ambition. It wishes to be among the best again. Aznar made these statements this afternoon, at the closing ceremony of the IV International Excellence Convention in Madrid. I am confident that, once again, others will take our country as benchmark. They'll see Spain as a role model, the path to follow to achieve excellence. That's what I believe. And that's still my ambition for Spain, he said. The former Prime Minister of Spain also declared that fortunately today, Spain has ambitions again that deserve that name. It wants to be among the best again. It wishes to be one of the best democracies in the world again. I am very confident that, despite difficulties, we will make it. In this sense, Aznar reminded that during his time in office, his aspiration for Spain was making it become one of the best democracies of the World. In his opinion, this aspiration was a decisive drive making Spain advance in the right direction. Being one of the best democracies of the world meant ? and still means ? having one of the most competitive economies, one of the soundest governments, one of the most active and thriving societies. Aznar stressed that ambition was what made Spain become a founding member of the euro, the fact that our capability to create employment was amazing, our debt rating was best than the German one, and our income level got as close to the European average as much as it did. And it was also what made us be respected around the world. GLOBAL STANDARD In his address, Aznar defined excellence as the ability to stand out because of doing things very well were the normal thing was to do them well. And doing them well according to a global standard, not a local one because local excellence is not real excellence anymore. Aznar also declared that the excellence concept cannot be understood as a synonym of elite, of exclusivity or of a closed group. On the contrary, it must be understood as a social role model for all. And for this it is necessary to maintain a level of demand and ambition capable of mobilising all talent and all resources already present in society, on top of creating new talents and resources, he said. Aznar stated that excellence is measured by comparing. And the key for the search of excellence to produce real social benefits depends on the transparency, honesty, self-demand, and ambition with which we mange to establish the terms of such a comparison. In this sense, he considered that the excellence we have to seek is defined by comparison with the best. Aznar's Address (in Spanish)