<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>President of the Government Pedro Sánchez preempted US President Donald Trump's decision on Wednesday to impose 24 percent tariffs on products from the European Union.</strong></h4> Donald Trump announced at a press conference on Wednesday the imposition of tariffs of 20 percent on the EU and 34 percent on China, and a minimum tariff of 10 percent on the rest of the world. All of these tariffs go into effect tonight, along with the 25 percent tariff on automobiles he had already announced last week. These measures, Trump stated, constitute "a declaration of an independent economy." "We're going to start being rich again. We can be the richest country in the world. We have to take care of our people and stop paying other countries' militaries," he added. In anticipation of these measures, Pedro Sánchez had earlier called social stakeholders to share with them the National Contingency Plan the government is finalizing to protect Spanish industry and businesses. "Today I met with the main employers' organizations and unions in our country to discuss the tariffs proposed by the US administration and the possible national and European response," Sánchez wrote on social media. "Spain will protect its companies and workers and will continue to support an open world," he added. On March 26, Pedro Sánchez announced before the Congress of Deputies that the government is "negotiating a proportional, intelligent, and united response with the community institutions and the rest of the EU Member States" and is "designing a national contingency plan to help the sectors of our economy that may be affected by this trade war." The meeting, held at the Moncloa Complex, was attended by the presidents of the CEOE and Cepyme, Antonio Garamendi and Gerardo Cuerva, and the general secretaries of the CCOO and UGT, Unai Sordo and Pepe Álvarez. Also present were the First Vice President and Minister of Finance, María Jesús Montero; the Second Vice President and Minister of Labor and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares; the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu; the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas; and the Minister of Economy, Trade, and Business, Carlos Cuerpo. According to Moncloa, Pedro Sánchez analyzed the current geopolitical situation, marked by trade tensions with the United States, with the highest representatives of business and labor, and assured them that the European Union and the Spanish government are prepared to protect Spanish industry and companies with the appropriate tools, in a fair and proportional manner, against the announced tariffs. The government's preparatory plans to respond to the unjustified tariffs proposed by the US administration were also discussed. According to Moncloa, the Spanish government is working closely with the European Union to provide a common European response to the imposition of tariffs in order to especially protect the sectors that may be affected. At the end of the meeting, Garamendi called for Europe to act on this "extremely bad news" and told the media that this tariff policy represents "a paradigm shift in multilateralism and the global economy." <h5><strong>Meeting with sectors</strong></h5> On another note, the President of the Government will meet this Thursday at noon at the Moncloa Complex with representatives of the Spanish productive sector, where they will analyze the situation. Sources from Moncloa cited by the Efe news agency have reported that those attending the meeting will include representatives from the automotive sector (Anfac and Faconauto), the Agrarian Association of Young Farmers (Asaja), the Spanish Federation of Food and Beverage Industries (FIAB), and the Interprofessional Organization of Spanish Olive Oil. <h5><strong>Cuerpo and Díaz</strong></h5> For his part, Carlos Cuerpo wanted to convey a "message of calm and confidence" this Wednesday during a meeting organized by Europa Press, because "both the European Union and Spain have expressed that we want to reach an agreed-upon solution with the United States." In any case, he warned, "if the United States ultimately imposes measures, they would be unfair, unjustified measures, and the European Union has the necessary tools to respond to them. We will respond, as always, in a fair and proportionate manner." Likewise, Yolanda Díaz stated on National Radio that the US tariffs are part of a plan by Trump, who "is not crazy and knows very well what he's doing," and are a "sign of the weakness of the US economy, which has a brutal trade deficit problem." She also called for calm among the affected sectors in Spain, such as aluminum, steel, oil, and wine, because "the government will do the right thing and save those affected and the workers." To achieve this, he added, the Executive uses tools such as the Red ERTE (Financial Plan for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) and temporary employment regulation files, which can be activated in cases of catastrophe or crisis. <h5><strong>Feijóo</strong></h5> For his part, the president of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Fejóo, told 'Espejo Público' this Wednesday that, "at this moment, what the Government should be doing, instead of insulting the opposition, is calling the regional presidents, calling the economic sectors of our country, and seeking a contingency plan to respond and lessen the impact on products subject to tariffs imposed by the US administration." "We neither agree with the Sánchez government's disqualifications of the Trump Administration nor with Vox's complicit silence regarding the attacks on our country's products," he added. "Free trade is the norm among countries that want to comply with treaties," and therefore, "if Trump breaks the free trade agreement" with "irrational measures," he warned, "he must receive an equally forceful and proportional response."
