The President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has announced a package of measures to mitigate the effects of tariffs in Andalucía. He has also mentioned that before summer, a commercial mission to Japan will take place to open markets, promote Andalusian products, and identify potential territories in other countries.
Moreno has also informed about the preparation by Trade of a package of incentives for the internationalization of Andalusian companies worth 11 million euros, and mentioned that a special fund is being considered to increase the promotion of Andalusian agri-food products in emerging markets such as India, China, or Brazil due to the impact of tariffs on the agri-food industry.
Furthermore, another measure includes inviting large international supermarket chains to visit Andalucía and its productions and creating a list of products that the EU could include in the application of reciprocal tariffs.
He emphasized that it would be beneficial for the central government to propose tax reductions for a situation that seems to be more than temporary and considered it positive that this and other proposals are being addressed in various areas such as the Dialogue Table and the Sectorial Table to deal with them with different administrations.
The Andalusian president has chaired the Social Dialogue Table at the Palace of San Telmo, joined by the General Secretary of CCOO Andalucía, Nuria López, the General Secretary of UGT Andalucía, Oskar Martín, and the President of the CEA, Javier González de Lara, to address the issue of tariffs and their impact on Andalucía.
During his speech, he sent a message of calmness and reiterated that the Andalusian government is rigorously working to cushion the impact and find alternative markets.
From left to right, Nuria López, Juanma Moreno, Javier González de Lara, and Oskar Martín.
He highlighted the support to the EU to provide a firm and proportional response, without giving up on negotiation, and mentioned that the Spanish government has the full collaboration of the Andalusian Executive. «It is a moment for smart diplomacy, responding in unity, coordinated, and with solutions for those affected. Although negotiations belong to European institutions and the Spanish government, Andalucía will not only offer collaboration, but will provide realistic solutions within our competencies. We want to promote a strong voice towards Spain and Europe and show unity and dialogue from the Andalusian government, companies, self-employed individuals, and workers in defense of Andalucía.»
He explained that the situation is complex for several reasons, as it involves various administrations, not only affecting exporting companies and their workers but also the towns and cities where they are located. «Ultimately, it will have an impact on the GDP, employment, and inflation, and therefore, on our products, economic activity, and the well-being of Andalucía, Spain, and the entire EU.»
The Andalusian president referred to some data to understand how tariffs will affect export activity, emphasizing that Andalucía’s exports to the USA, while significant, do not exceed 8% of total exports and represent 1.4% of our GDP, above the Spanish average of 1.1%. He mentioned that in 2024, exports reached nearly 3.2 billion euros.
Family photo from the meeting held at the Palace of San Telmo.
In addition, Andalucía is the second Spanish community that exports the most to the USA, with the USA being its main non-European market, particularly impacting products such as olive oil, petroleum refining, cement and natural stone products, and the aeronautical sector.
He also mentioned the agri-food producers, the sector with the most weight in exports to the USA, specifying that in 2024 alone, 1.355 million euros were exported to this country, meaning that 43% of the value exported from Andalucía to the USA consists of agri-food products.
Specifically, he pointed out that the olive oil sector is the largest exporter with nearly 1.032 million euros, over 75% of the total agri-food sector and a third of all Andalucía’s exports to the USA.
«Our foreign sector must remain competitive and strong. These are companies that sell outside of Spain, bringing wealth and employment to Andalucía. With that goal, the Andalusian government has designed these measures that we have brought to the Dialogue Table today.»
In conclusion, he emphasized that we are facing an issue that originates from outside but must be addressed from within, and that «the best way to do it is through dialogue, agreement, and collaboration.» «It is the best way to provide certainty and solutions, which are truly important.»
Also present at the meeting were the Minister of the Presidency, Interior, Social Dialogue, and Administrative Simplification, Antonio Sanz, and the Minister of Economy, Finance, and European Funds, Carolina España.
