The Secretary-General of the Socialist Party (PS), Pedro Nuno Santos, on Friday criticized the Government for failing to anticipate “support packages for the sectors most affected” by the trade war ignited by tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. He accused the administration of seeking refuge “in ministerial meetings for electoral purposes.”
“The escalation of the trade war prompted by Trump’s tariffs is set to have a negative impact on the economy, not just in the United States but globally, and Portugal is no exception,” wrote Pedro Nuno Santos on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The PS leader further asserted that the European Union, “without closing the door to dialogue, must respond firmly but with intelligence in the unwavering defense of its interests.”
“While other European governments, like Spain’s, are already preparing support packages for the most affected sectors, our Government reveals it hasn’t foreseen the problem and seeks refuge in ministerial meetings for electoral purposes,” he commented.
He continued: “We should already have contingency measures prepared to mitigate the impacts on our economic sectors that are foreseeably most affected. That is what we would have done if we were in government.”
A escalada de guerra comercial gerada pelas tarifas de Trump vai ter impacto negativo para a economia, desde logo dos Estados Unidos, mas também à escala global, e Portugal não é exceção.
A União Europeia, sem fechar a via do diálogo, tem que reagir com firmeza, mas sobretudo com…— Pedro Nuno Santos (@PNSpedronuno) April 4, 2025
It is noteworthy that U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs of 20% on imports from the European Union on Wednesday. These are in addition to a 25% tariff on the automotive, steel, and aluminum sectors.
Trump’s new tariffs are an attempt to boost the U.S. industry while penalizing countries for what he described as years of unfair trade practices. These have been imposed by the United States on all imports, with additional tariffs for countries considered especially hostile to trade.
Meanwhile, the Portuguese Ministry of Economy announced plans to meet next week with 16 business associations from various sectors to assess “the impact and mitigation measures” of the tariffs announced by the U.S. President.
