Charlie Smith
SPAIN’S acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said he will defend his country from the ‘unacceptable’ tariffs proposed by US President Donald Trump.
It comes after the American leader tabled taxes of 25% on swathes of European agrifood products, including Spanish wine, olive oil and cheese.
The US threatened to imposes taxes on 150 different products in total, as well as 10% taxes on aircraft it buys from Spain.
“We are an administration that wants to maintain the best possible transatlantic relations…but my responsibility as prime minister is to defend the agricultural sector in the face of any attempt to railroad us with tariffs,” Sanchez said.
The heavier taxation of EU goods came after the World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled that some subsidies EU countries had paid to Airbus were illegal, giving the US the right to impose tariffs worth billions of euros.
It is estimated by Spain that the tariffs, which also target its liqueurs and cordials, olives and pork products, will affect around €1 billion of annual exports.
