Business minister sees Trump's victory as a 'motivational push' for stronger EU

The Catalan business minister, Miquel Sàmper, believes that Donald Trump's victory as the president-elect of the United States President-elect is the "motivational push" required to "strengthen" the European Union and its project.

"Europe needs to take advantage of this situation to build towards its ongoing partnership," Sàmper said on Monday during a press conference.

During his speech, Sàmper questioned Trump's proposal to increase tariffs on imports, which could rise to 60% for those Chinese products, and considered it "unsettling."

Many Catalan exports will be "directly affected" by Trump's action plan.

"We must question what are we going to do from Europe as a response" to Trump's victory, Sàmper said.

Beyond business matters, Trump's re-election as president has also sparked unease among many US nationals residing in Catalonia.