Catalan President Salvador Illa forcefully condemned trade threats from former US President Donald Trump, vowing to defend the region’s industry against what he described as “coercion” and reaffirming a commitment to international law.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
The rebuke came after Trump announced he would “cut all trade” with Spain for its refusal to allow the use of the Morón Air Base and Naval Station Rota for potential military operations against Iran. Speaking on Tuesday, Catalan officials presented a united front, dismissing the threats as both unwelcome and ill-conceived.
A Firm Stand Amidst Global Tech Summit
President Illa delivered his remarks amidst the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, the world’s largest mobile technology event. During an official reception for MWC organisers and delegates at the historic Palau de la Generalitat, Illa asserted Catalonia’s position.
“We are not open to receiving any coercion from anyone,” he stated, according to reports from Europa Press. “We have clear ideas, we respect everyone, and we know how to defend Catalunya’s interests.”
Illa also called for “de-escalation,” advocating for conflicts to be resolved through negotiation and international law. While admitting the escalating tensions in the Middle East caused him “concern and anguish,” he stressed the situation had “not distorted” the MWC’s successful operation. The Generalitat de Catalunya recently focused on ensuring the congress ran smoothly, even temporarily lifting VTC restrictions to ease transport issues that have plagued past editions.
EU Competence and Economic Reality
Earlier in the day, the Catalan Minister for the European Union and Foreign Action, Jaume Duch Guillot, offered a more technical dismissal of Trump’s threat. Speaking before a parliamentary commission, Duch pointed out two fundamental flaws in the proposition.
Firstly, he reminded lawmakers that trade policy falls under the exclusive competence of the European Commission, not individual member states. “To threaten the trade policy of a European Union country demonstrates a misunderstanding of how this works,” Duch stated, as reported by 20 Minutos. He praised the Commission’s clear and swift response backing Spain.
Secondly, Duch argued that a hypothetical trade suspension would be self-defeating for the United States. “If it were to happen, it would fundamentally harm the United States, because it has a trade surplus [with Spain],” he explained.
Business as Usual in Barcelona
Despite the geopolitical sabre-rattling, the atmosphere at the MWC reception remained positive. John Hoffman, Director General of the event’s organising body, GSMA, took the stage to express his organisation’s commitment to the city.
“We are proud to be in Barcelona, in Catalonia, and in Spain,” Hoffman declared. He added that the goal of the congress was not just to see the future, but to create it, and opened the door to “celebrating another 20 years of MWC together.”
President Illa echoed this sentiment, calling the MWC a “magnificent example” of public-private cooperation and reaffirming his government’s commitment to the congress. “Technology presents some risks,” he concluded, “but mostly it presents opportunities for the advancement of society. The key is governance and ethics.”
