MADRID: The European Commission is in charge of trade negotiations with the United States, Spain's economy minister said on Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would double tariffs on Madrid over what he considers insufficient defence spending.
Trump said after a NATO summit in The Hague he would make Spain pay "twice as much" for a trade deal after the NATO member state's refusal to meet an alliance defence spending target of 5% of gross domestic product.
Speaking in Paris, Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo also told Spanish state news agency EFE: "Europe also has tools to defend itself if no deal is reached."
