Catalonia to maintain tariff response plan but pause 'gives opportunity for negotiation'

Catalan president Salvador Illa said that the pause in Donald Trump's tariffs on the European Union "gives an opportunity for negotiation," but will also keep Catalonia's response plan in effect.

The Socialist leader made these statements from Milan where he began a trip on Thursday to take up the rotating presidency of the Four Motors for Europe network.

Illa called Donald Trump's behavior "arbitrary" and believes that "nothing can be taken for granted." For this reason, he noted that we must be "prepared in case we need to respond."

"There is a pause but the situation is new; we are entering a new world," the Catalan president warned.

In response to the US tariffs, Catalonia devised a €1.5 billion plan to combat the effects of the levies. Illa had met with trade unions and employer associations on Monday to "coordinate a response" to Trump's tariffs.

The plan includes €300 million to activate aid programs from the government's regular budgets, €900 million in loans and credit facilitated by the ICF (Catalan Finance Institute), €150 million for investment funds, €130 million for internationalization consulting, and €200 million to promote Catalan products in strategic markets.

After the announcement of a 90-day pause on the tariffs, Spain's stock market saw an 8% increase at the opening bell on Thursday.

Illa now sees an opportunity to negotiate and believes that this conversation must "reaffirm European values."

However, Illa believes that it is necessary to be "prepared" in case it is necessary to respond again. "Hopefully it doesn't go any further and it is redirected, but I wouldn't make any predictions," the president said.

The European response must be "calm and in favor of international trade," Illa added.

"Confidence" in parliamentary groups

Part of the resources that the government plans to mobilize to deal with the tariff war should be linked to the approval of a second decree of credit supplement, since the executive does not have its own budget plan in place for this year.

After several parliamentary groups have called for negotiations for the credit increase to be accelerated, Illa said the government "continues to work on it with the intensity of day one."

The Socialist noted "a constructive attitude and awareness that is a delicate moment" among parliamentary opposition groups, and said he is "confident" that "this responsible behavior will be expressed in all areas."