Teresa Ribera: "We don't want to escalate the conflict with the US, but we don't want to be naive either."

The Executive Vice President of the European Commission (EC), Teresa Ribera, does not want to "escalate" the conflict with the US, but has warned that the EU cannot be "naive" or stand idly by if unfavorable conditions are imposed.

In an interview with La Vanguardia this Sunday, the European Commissioner for Clean, Fair, and Competitive Transition also assessed the trade war launched by US President Donald Trump.

"I don't think the terms on which President Donald Trump has established his relationship with others are those of a balanced negotiation , and they don't even properly identify where the problems may lie," Ribera said.

The EC Vice President described the trade relationship with the US as "very important," but stressed that this does not mean the EU has to accept any conditions.

"We have no interest in escalating conflicts, but we shouldn't be naive, either, or stand idly by while we wait for unfavorable conditions for our industry to be imposed. Two people can't fight if one doesn't want to, but if one wants to, the other must be prepared to defend themselves," he stated.

Regarding China, Ribera noted that the European market has certain standards that must be met.

"We demand a high level of worker protection from our industry. We are not willing to accept undignified or poorly paid working conditions, nor do we demand a high level of socio-environmental protection. And if industries comply, it's very important to ensure that anyone interested in participating in our market has a regime that ensures they comply with the same rules," he emphasized.

In this context, he stated that "we must continue talking with China, we must reach an understanding in all areas, but we must also be firm when necessary."

Regarding the massive blackout in Spain, he said that lessons must be learned and the grid must continue to be improved: "We need more interconnections because that fluctuation would have been smoothed out, but it would also have allowed for a faster recovery," he said.

"We need more investment in the network, not only in network expansion, but also in the intelligent operation of those networks and their operational capacity," he emphasized.

The former Minister of Ecological Transition of the Spanish Government has pointed out that in 2018, when she arrived at the central government, "Red Eléctrica invested around 400 million euros per year" and that it currently allocates "1.4 billion euros per year."

"We must continue to invest in more interconnection, better network management capacity, and more storage, because the system is different. And that's what Spain was doing and what it must continue to do," he said.