The Tánaiste has said the US seems to be pursuing a strategy of “tariffs before talks,” reports Breaking News.
Simon Harris also stated it is “highly likely” that US President Donald Trump will go ahead with additional tariffs on the EU on April 2nd.
The EU has postponed its countermeasures against the Trump administration’s 25 per cent tariff hike on all steel and aluminium imports until mid-April, reports Breaking News.
Initially, the EU had planned to impose measures on €26 billion worth of US goods in two phases, on April 1st and April 13th.
Now delayed until mid-April, the tariffs were set to cover steel, aluminium, and products like bourbon.
Trump had previously announced plans to introduce further retaliatory tariffs on April 2nd.
Harris has suggested the EU should reconsider its countermeasures list, arguing it would “make sense” to reassess the rationale behind the selected items, reports Breaking News.
The Irish Government views the risk of the US imposing tariffs on EU alcoholic beverages as a “very serious issue,” warning that Ireland’s drinks sector could suffer significantly if tensions escalate.
Harris chaired a meeting of the Irish Government’s Trade Forum on Friday, focusing on the potential impact of the tariffs, reports Breaking News.
Speaking to reporters afterward, he said: “We have to be very honest: At this stage, it looks highly likely that there could be significant disruption in terms of announcements from the United States in early April.”
He emphasized the need for a strong and united EU response, stating: “It’s important that we respond firmly across the European Union in relation to this,” reports Breaking News.
Harris welcomed the EU’s decision to delay its countermeasures until mid-April, adding: “I hope that that time can be used for intensive, sensible, calm negotiation to find a way forward – because at the end of the day tariffs are bad for consumers and the US-EU relationship economically is so interdependent,” reports Breaking News.
As Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Harris briefed the forum on his discussions with EU counterparts and European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic.
He said: “But the point is we’ve got to control what we can control and we’ve got to influence what we can influence. And that means, in an Irish context, we have to really look at things around competitiveness and how we can support the continued offering that Ireland has here as a great location to create jobs, to invest and to help our economy grow,” reports Breaking News.
He added: “And in terms of influencing what we can influence, we’ve got to continue to work as members of team European Union. We are part of one of the largest trading blocs in the world – that’s brought huge economic advantage. But we want to do more with the US, we want to buy more stuff from the United States, but we need to do that in a measure that is calm,” reports Breaking News.
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