Donald Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on Spain after the country refused to spend 5% of its GDP on NATO.
On Wednesday, the European Commission vowed that Europe would stand united to protect Spain from potential US trade measures, as tensions over defence spending within the alliance have been building for months.
While all EU member states are bound by a common trade policy, meaning they are subject to the same external tariffs, Washington could still target Spain individually and impose duties of up to 15% on imports.
“We will respond appropriately, as we always do, to any measures taken against one or more of our member states,” said Olof Gill, the Commission’s trade spokesperson, without providing further details on what a potential response might look like.
The EU’s statement comes after Trump criticised Spain’s stance on NATO as “disrespectful“.
“I think it’s very disrespectful to NATO. In fact, I was thinking about giving them trade punishment through tariffs because of what they did. I may do that,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
