Ane Barcos
In response to US President Donald Trump’s recent threat to impose tariffs on Spain for its refusal to comply with the 5% of GDP defense spending target agreed at the NATO Summit, the European Commission assured that “we will respond appropriately, as we always do, to any measures against one or more of our members.”
During a daily press conference of the European Commission, the European Commission’s Trade Spokesperson, Olof Gill, reiterated that European Union trade policy is the exclusive responsibility of the Commission and not of its Member States.
In this regard, Gill assured that the Commission “will respond appropriately” to any measures taken against one or more EU countries and noted that the EU-US trade agreement provides the necessary framework to address any trade dispute that may arise.
The US president had described Spain’s stance as “unfair” and “a great lack of respect for NATO,” suggesting that the country could face trade retaliation for failing to comply with its commitment to increase its defense spending. However, Gill avoided speculating on hypothetical scenarios, referring to the threat as a situation that “will not be discussed” in detail.
This episode is not the first time Trump has criticized Spain for its level of defense spending. At the NATO Summit held in June in The Hague, the US president had already expressed his dissatisfaction with the stance of Pedro Sánchez’s government and even threatened to increase tariffs on bilateral trade.
In response to this pressure, Pedro Sánchez’s government reaffirmed its commitment to NATO, emphasizing that Spain is a full member of the Alliance and urging “maximum calm.” He also noted that trade negotiations with third countries, such as the United States, are the responsibility of the European Union as a whole, so discriminatory tariffs cannot be applied to a single Member State.
