President Illa: “We will not be intimidated by threats of trade or war”
The President of Catalonia took over the presidency of the Four Motors for Europe at an event in Varese (Italy)
On Friday 11 April, the President of the Government of Catalonia, Salvador Illa, assumed the presidency of the Four Motors for Europe, the cooperative partnership between Catalonia, Baden-Württemberg, Lombardy and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
In his speech, President Illa argued that Europe should not allow itself to be “intimidated by trade threats from the other side of the Atlantic, nor by threats of war from Russia”, and claimed that the European Union has the solutions in its hands and that it is already taking action by realising its full potential.
“It is time for action, because I am convinced that all of us want a Europe that is a protagonist, a Europe of hope and an entrepreneurial Europe. In other words, a Europe that is the political subject of its own destiny”, he said.
In this sense, he pointed out that “Catalonia will stand alongside opportunities and hope, alongside European democratic values”, and he committed himself to responding to the trade war in a calm but firm manner.
Joint declaration on tariffs
At the proposal of the Catalan Government, and as the first initiative of the Catalan presidency, the Four Motors for Europe signed a joint declaration rejecting the tariffs announced by the United States as “unjustifiable and damaging, striking at the heart of the transatlantic partnership that has long stood for shared prosperity, open markets and democratic values”.
In this statement, the Four Motors called for dialogue and negotiation and advocated for a “firm, joint and coordinated response from the European Union and the Member States”. The text highlighted that “Europe will overcome this crisis by preserving and promoting European values and by continuing to defend social justice, equality and cohesion between European regions and their citizens”.
Statement by the Four Motors for Europe on the announcement of tariffs by the U.S. Government (PDF)
Programme of the Catalan presidency
The president stated that Catalonia assumes the presidency of the Four Motors for Europe with a twofold commitment: “to work for an EU that is closer to us, more ours, more plural and more united” and, therefore, for these four territories to have a greater voice in the European institutions, and to generate shared prosperity because that is “the best way to ensure Europe's future”.
He also explained that the Catalan presidency will be based on four blocks of work aligned with Europe's strategy: leading innovation in advanced technologies, gaining strategic autonomy, security and resilience, decarbonisation to compete and working towards an inclusive economy.