<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>President of the Government Pedro Sánchez called on the US administration this Friday to "reconsider, engage in dialogue with the European Commission, and stop the nonsense" of raising tariffs on European products.</strong></h4> "If tariffs are imposed on us, we must respond decisively," Sánchez declared at the forum "European Funds: Towards Strategic Autonomy," organized by elDiario.es in Madrid. "Europe will defend itself by acting swiftly, proportionally, and unequivocally," he continued during the event, which was attended by the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska; the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Óscar Puente; the Minister of Education, Vocational Training, and Sports and Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría; the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas; and the Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities, Diana Morant. The Prime Minister reiterated his "call on the US Administration to reconsider, to engage in dialogue with the European Commission, and to stop this nonsense," because "a trade war benefits no one and harms everyone, especially the weakest." If such an increase ultimately occurs, he assured, "the Government will stand by our farmers, our businesses, and our people from the very beginning," with the development of a National Contingency Plan to assist the most affected sectors, and will respond proportionally, "with unity," and "in coordination with our European partners." On March 12, the European Commission responded to the implementation of the "unjustified" 25% US tariffs on European steel and aluminum with compensatory levies on a wide range of US products worth up to €26 billion. The following day, US President Donald Trump accused the EU of being "one of the most hostile and abusive tariff authorities in the world," created "with the sole purpose of taking advantage of the United States," and announced, on his Truth Social network, his intention to impose 200% EU tariffs on wine, champagne, and other alcoholic beverages. Separately, the Prime Minister stated that Spain has already received almost €48 billion in transfers of Next Generation European funds (of the total €80 billion in non-reimbursable funds allocated to Spain, along with the corresponding loans) and is the EU country that has met the most milestones and objectives linked to non-reimbursable funds. Thanks to these European Recovery Plan funds, he added, Spanish GDP has increased by 2.6% through December 2024 and public debt has been reduced by 7.8 percentage points.
