Catalan president considers Trump's tariffs 'unjustifiable' and prepares plan to 'protect' affected industries

The Catalan president, Salvador Illa, believes that US President Donald J. Trump's tariffs are "unjustifiable" and that the decision will start a "commercial war" worldwide.

The Socialist leader positioned himself against the US administration's policies on Thursday night at a judicial meeting in Barcelona that welcomed all regional Spanish justice ministers and the government's minister.

Illa argued during a speech that a tariff is like a "border" and will complicate "social and economic growth. " He added that the measure will "divide" society, which is why he urged defending the European Union project "regardless of political ideologies."

The Catalan leader mainly spoke in Spanish, except for the part regarding the tariffs, which he addressed in Catalan.

Catalonia will be "by Europe's side" and will give support to the Spanish government's plan to protect businesses and jobs from the US tariffs after PM Pedro Sánchez announced an over €14 billion scheme on Thursday midday.

Hours later, on Friday morning during an executive trip to Queralbs, in the Pyrenees, Illa said that the government is preparing a plan to "protect" all industries hit by tariffs.

"We have all the tools, and we will use them," he said from the Vall de Núria area. However, he acknowledged that the situation is "complex" and asked for "patience and trust" from all Catalan citizens.

3,161 companies

The tariffs announced by the US administration under President Donald J. Trump will affect at least 3,161 Catalan companies, representing around €4.3 billion in sales.

These are initial figures from the Catalonia Trade & Investment agency, which specializes in finding business opportunities for Catalan companies abroad.

Overall, these represent around 4.3% of all Catalan exports worldwide. In fact, exports to the US grew 19% in 2024 than the previous year.

The agency is, however, still analyzing the actual figures as this is just a preliminary report based on Wednesday's announcement.

On Monday, the Catalan president will meet with different financial entities to address the response from Catalonia to Trump's tariffs.