“The tariffs will impact some of our industries, particularly textiles and footwear, but also indirectly affect our automotive components industry. Therefore, what we needed was a government that reacted more swiftly, as the Spanish government did,” remarked Pedro Nuno Santos to journalists at the end of a visit to the Mercado de Benfica in Lisbon.
The Secretary-General of the PS highlighted that until today, when these tariffs come into effect, the PSD/CDS-PP Government has not presented “any package of aid and support to industries potentially most affected by the American tariffs.”
“What we need is a government capable of acting quickly,” he asserted.
Pedro Nuno Santos emphasized the evident lack of action from the Government on this matter, noting that since the announcement of these tariffs, the only action from the executive was “a meeting with business associations.”
“What we needed were proposals, especially to support our export industry by directing part of its exports to other markets,” he said, advocating for support in “intensifying and diversifying the markets of exporting companies.”
According to the Secretary-General of the PS, “this would imply a reallocation of some EU funds,” and negotiations with Brussels “should have already started.”
“We should also have other support measures for our companies, such as public credit insurance to help our businesses enter markets that are still unfamiliar to them,” he proposed.
When asked about the potential impacts on the global economy, Pedro Nuno Santos stressed the need for preparation “for all eventualities,” asserting that “Portugal and the Portuguese economy will also prepare.”
“We must do our work, strengthen our economy, have a strategy for transforming our economy, something we have not seen over the past year, strengthen our economy so it is prepared not only to pay good wages but also to be better prepared to face crises and any economic crisis that we may encounter,” he said.
The U.S.-imposed tariffs come into effect today, adding to the global minimum tariff of 10% that began on April 5.
When questioned about whether immigration is a topic where there might be consensus with the AD, Pedro Nuno Santos reiterated that “sovereign areas are areas where a consensus should be sought” that extends beyond governments.
