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Madrid – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, EU and Cooperation of the Government of Spain, José Manuel Albares, claimed this Monday the freedom of trade and, considering the possibility that the trade war launched by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, affects the European Union, warned that the bloc has the “firmness,” “determination,” and “instruments” to “protect” its own interests.
“No one wins in a tariff war,” warned the Spanish minister at an informative breakfast of Europa Press, in which he claimed that the Spanish position is “very clear” and involves defending the freedom of trade, “good” for citizens and companies.
In this regard, and although he pointed out that it is up to each country to make its own sovereign decisions, he warned of possible inflationary effects of measures such as those launched by Trump and that, as threatened by the Republican magnate himself, could end up affecting European products.
In the case of the EU, added Albares, the “great fortune” is the unity of European construction, cemented in a common trade policy and equipped with tools to defend against a hypothetical “aggression.”
In relation to this and other measures by Trump, the head of Spanish diplomacy acknowledged that he is not “surprised,” since these are issues that had already been announced and that even echo his first term.
Albares said in any case that there is no need to spend so much time evaluating what measures other governments may adopt: “The important thing is what we are going to do ourselves.” In this regard, he appealed to European unity around political, social, and economic values.
“The United States is the natural ally of the EU,” remarked Albares, who has not yet had the opportunity to meet with his counterpart Marco Rubio and whom he hopes to meet, at the latest, at the next NATO ministerial meeting. (February 3)