It is an open clash between Donald Trump’s United States and Spain, with the European Union taking a united stand in defense of one of its member states. The day opened with a clear statement from the European Commission in response to Washington’s threats to impose a “total embargo” against Madrid, accused of not having collaborated in military operations against Iran. One of the spokespersons of the EU executive reiterated that “we stand in full solidarity with all member states and all their citizens and, through our common commercial policy, we are ready to act, if necessary, to safeguard the interests of the EU”. A clear message: any commercial attack on a single country is equivalent to an attack on the entire Union.
The issue of military bases
At the origin of the tension is the refusal of the government led by Pedro Sánchez to authorize the use of the Rota and Morón bases for a US military operation against Iran. A decision that is part of a line already traced by Madrid in recent months, marked by a certain distance from Washington’s requests, including that of increasing military spending up to 5% of GDP. The White House reacted harshly. Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt declared that Spain had “in the last few hours agreed to collaborate with the US army”, hinting at a possible end to the crisis. However, Madrid’s denial came immediate and categorical: Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares denied that there had been any openness to participation or logistical support for an attack against Iran.
Brussels: “A threat to one is a threat to all”
Faced with American pressure, Brussels has chosen the line of compactness. The Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Competition, Teresa Ribera, underlined that the Union’s foreign trade “is negotiated as a bloc”, making targeted retaliation against a single Member State impossible. The European commissioner for industrial policy, the Frenchman Stéphane Séjourné, was also on the same line, declaring at a press conference: «Any commercial threat aimed at a member state is, by definition, a threat against the EU». The President of the European Council, António Costa, expressed his solidarity with Sánchez during a phone call, while messages of support also arrived from the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and from the French President Emmanuel Macron, who explicitly spoke of “France’s European solidarity”. Sánchez himself publicly thanked, with a message on Twitter, for the support received from the European leaders, a sign of a common front that goes beyond the political differences within the Union.
EU-US agreement postponed, tension also in Strasbourg
The new tensions with Washington have also had repercussions on an institutional level. In light of the incandescent climate, the meeting of the presidents of the European Parliament decided to further postpone the discussion on the EU-US agreement, initially scheduled for the next plenary session in Strasbourg. The Socialists & Democrats (S&D) group argued that the “political and legal prerequisites” to proceed with the vote are still lacking. At the same time, the European right rejected the proposal to include in the plenary agenda a specific debate on the threats of trade sanctions made by Trump against Spain. A test for Europe The diplomatic crisis between Washington and Madrid is thus turning into a test for the cohesion of the European Union. The line that emerged from Brussels is unequivocal: commercial policy is the exclusive competence of the EU and does not allow for differential treatment between member states.
The “mystery” on Spain’s collaboration
Spain has “in the last few hours agreed to collaborate with the US military”, said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt, after President Donald Trump threatened a trade embargo against Madrid for its refusal to allow the Pentagon to use its facilities in Spanish bases for operations against Iran. But shortly afterwards Spain contradicted the White House on the fact that Madrid had agreed to collaborate with US forces in the attack on Iran. Foreign Minister Josè Manuel Albares categorically denied what spokeswoman Leavitt said a few minutes earlier.