Khaberni - The European Commission and the Spanish government rejected on Wednesday the latest threat from US President Donald Trump to impose higher customs tariffs on Madrid; due to their refusal to comply with his proposed defense spending target in NATO.
Trump said he was "very upset" with Spain for being the only country that rejected the new spending target of five percent of its gross domestic product, adding that he is considering imposing a penalty on the Mediterranean country. He had earlier stated that he would make Spain "pay double what it pays" under trade negotiations.
The spokesman for the Commission, Olof Gill, said in a press briefing that trade policy falls within the competences of Brussels, and that the Commission "will respond appropriately, as we always do, to any actions taken against one or more of the member states."
Gill added that the trade agreement between the European Union and the United States, signed in July, was the right starting point to resolve any issues.
The Spanish Ministry of Economy and Trade said in a statement, "The discussion about defense spending is not just about increasing spending, but is linked to responding to real threats... We are playing our part in developing the necessary capabilities and contributing to the collective defense of NATO."
Spain has raised its nominal defense spending from 0.98 percent of gross domestic product in 2017 to two percent this year, equivalent to about 32.7 billion euros ($38 billion).
Defense Minister Margarita Robles clarified that the NATO member states did not discuss the five percent target during their meeting today because the priority was given to the current situation in Ukraine.
(Dollar = 0.8605 euros)
