Ribera, Spain's EU commissioner, on Wednesday said Washington's attempts to single out individual EU countries is "profoundly disturbing".Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images

EU’s Ribera says Trump can’t break trade relations with Spain – POLITICO

by · POLITICO

European Commission Vice President Teresa Ribera disputed U.S. President Donald Trump's ability to carry out his threat to cut commercial ties with Spain, pointing out the EU's foreign trade is negotiated as a bloc.

"It is not possible to engage in [individual] commercial retaliation or business relationships," Ribera said Wednesday in an interview on Spain's Cadena Ser radio network. "The trade negotiations of each and every one of the 27 member states of the European Union are the responsibility of the Commission and it is not possible to divide or fragment them."

Trump on Tuesday threatened to halt trade with Spain after Madrid barred the U.S. from using jointly operated military bases on Spanish soil to attack Iran.