The first vice president and minister of Economy, Trade and Business, Carlos Cuerpo, has urged the United States to respect the trade agreement sealed last year with the European Union and has reiterated his commitment to strengthening bilateral ties, something that, in his opinion, must be done "by reducing barriers, not by increasing them."
In a press conference following his meeting with banking associations and with associations of seniors and financial users to address financial inclusion, the head of Economy emphasized the "importance" of the economic link with the United States, both for Spain and for the entire European Union.
"It is our most important, strongest trade relationship, and we believe that enhancing it involves reducing barriers, not increasing them," he stressed.
The U.S. government announced yesterday the implementation of tariffs of between 10% and 12.5% on more than 60 countries, including Spain and the rest of the community partners, claiming that they have not taken sufficient measures to curb the entry of products made with forced labor.
In light of this scenario, Cuerpo recalled that last August the European Union and the United States reached an understanding on tariff matters, so he insisted on the need to respect that commitment to provide "predictability and stability to businesses."
"The European Union has already taken all the necessary steps to fulfill its part, and this is what we also expect from the United States," he pointed out.
However, the minister has called for caution, referring to the fact that investigations are still open in the United States regarding the legality of the tariffs approved during the Trump Administration.
"Returning to that signal of stability and predictability that we need to give to the entities on both sides of the Atlantic, in terms of ensuring that the agreement reached last August will be fulfilled, as agreed by the authorities on both sides of the Atlantic," he concluded.