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Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during the closing ceremony of the national industry convention in Bilbao. Jordi Alemany Traffic Spain Green Politics: PM announces 7,500-euro help for electric car purchases by SMEs and self-employedThe aim of this 40-million-euro budget is to help companies with fewer than ten employees in the face of Trump's protectionist policy
Bilbao
Friday, 6 February 2026, 16:05
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced that the government will give aid of up to 7,500 euros to small and medium-sized business and the self-employed to facilitate the purchase of electric cars.
This initiative is part of the country's green strategy and comes at a time when US President Trump's office threatens trade and economic cooperation with a much more protectionist policy.
During the closing ceremony of the national industry convention in Bilbao on Thursday, Sánchez strongly encouraged the electrification of the vehicle fleet. "Factory smoke is a memory of the past, but smoke-free factories are a guarantee for the future," he said.
To support this statement, the prime minister announced that the government has prepared a budget of 40 million euros to assist SMEs and the self-employed in the purchase of electric vehicles. The initiative benefits companies with fewer than ten employees and includes incentives of up to 7,500 euros per vehicle.
The central government is strengthening its commitment to the electrification of business transport at a time when Brussels, under pressure from the Franco-German axis and large manufacturers, is beginning to lower its requirements. The European Commission is proposing to limit decarbonisation obligations by 2030 to companies with more than 250 employees, which will have to ensure that at least 55% of their new purchases are low-emission.
Sánchez is determined to turn the green agenda into one of the main pillars in the run-up to the next elections. On 6 February, the government opens a second call for the Perte programme for industrial decarbonisation. This scheme is the main public tool for financing emission reductions and the modernisation of the productive fabric. This new round of funding will be endowed with 330 million euros and will extend the project implementation period from two and a half years to five.
The prime minister also announced the government's goal for industry to once again contribute 20% of GDP, compared to its current weight of around 16%. To achieve this, he called for unprecedented collaboration between public and private capital, rather than the previous focus on private investment.
Sánchez urged Europe to react quickly so as not to fall back in the tech race and lose its economic sovereignty to China and the US. He stated that some 300 billion euros of European savings end up financing US companies every year, when these resources can sponsor strategic projects within the EU.
PM Sánchez concluded that "the internal market" can be strengthened by "harmonising and simplifying" rather than by deregulating. He promoted taking a new road to other markets, such as Mercosur and India, with which Brussels has made progress on trade agreements in recent weeks in an attempt to diversify its partners.