Spain's PM says 2015 economic growth could reach 1.8 percent

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish economic growth could be as much as 1.8 percent next year, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Friday, above the government's previous estimates of 1.5 percent.

"We believe, that in 2015, and analyst consensus points to this too, that growth could be 1.8 percent," Rajoy said during a press conference in Brussels.

Spain's economy shrank by 1.2 percent in 2013, though is expected to grow by about 1 percent this year after emerging from recession in the second half of last year.

(Reporting by Andres Gonzalez; Writing by Paul Day; Editing by Tracy Rucinski)