UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — EU says ‘ready’ to defend interests after Trump’s threat against Spain

Q1. Which one of the following is the largest U.S. naval facility on Spanish soil and hosts the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers assigned to NATO's Ballistic Missile Defence shield in Europe?

  • A. Naval Station Rota
  • B. Morón de la Frontera Air Base
  • C. Torrejón Air Base
  • D. Zaragoza Air Base

Q2. Under which provision of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) is the Common Commercial Policy — covering tariffs, trade agreements and trade defence — vested exclusively in the European Union, making it legally impossible for the U.S. to sever trade ties with a single EU member state such as Spain on a purely bilateral basis?

  • A. Article 50 TFEU
  • B. Article 101 TFEU
  • C. Article 207 TFEU
  • D. Article 218 TFEU

Q3. What is the NATO collective defence-spending target, repeatedly invoked by U.S. President Donald Trump in March 2026 to criticise Spain's 'failure' to contribute its share, that allies are urged to reach as a percentage of GDP?

  • A. 2% of GDP
  • B. 3% of GDP
  • C. 4% of GDP
  • D. 5% of GDP

Q4. In the context of the EU's response to U.S. trade threats, the term 'Anti-Coercion Instrument' (ACI) — popularly called the EU's 'trade bazooka' — most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A WTO dispute-settlement panel that the European Commission may unilaterally convene against the United States
  • B. An EU regulation that empowers the Union to impose tariffs, restrict market access and curb foreign direct investment against third countries that economically coerce the EU or its member states
  • C. A NATO Article 5-style collective economic-defence clause binding all 27 EU members to retaliate in unison
  • D. A European Central Bank facility that supplies emergency dollar liquidity to member states facing U.S. financial sanctions