‘Regrettable’ an EU-US deal has not been reached, Harris says

By Cillian Sherlock, PA

It is “regrettable” that the EU and US were not able to agree a framework on tariffs ahead of an earlier deadline, the Tánaiste has said.

Simon Harris said the EU has to “prepare for all scenarios” after US President Donald Trump threatened 30 per cent tariffs against the bloc.

Mr Harris said there was a need to “de-escalate the situation” through a framework deal that would provide certainty for businesses and protect jobs and investment.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs made the comments following a meeting with US ambassador to Ireland Ed Walsh.

Speaking at Government Buildings, Mr Harris said: “The message I relayed to the US ambassador is a consistent one and a very straightforward one: we in Ireland, we in Europe, want a deal.

“We want a trade deal that is good for Ireland, good for Europe, good for the United States of America, and I believe there is a clear landing zone in relation to that.”

The EU and US had been engaged in negotiations ahead of a deadline last week, but Mr Trump announced he was pushing back the imposition of a higher rate of tariffs until August 1st.

The US president also said he would impose 30 per cent tariffs on the bloc if a deal is not reached, in a move that EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic said would make trade between the two regions almost “impossible”.

Mr Harris said: “I believe there was a landing zone very nearly there last week, and it’s regrettable that that wasn’t arrived at.”

However, he said he remained confident that a deal can happen in the days ahead.

The European Commission is due to publish an expanded list of counter-tariffs that would be implemented if an agreement is not reached.

He said the “optimal position” would be to get to a deal where “we can rip up that list and never need to see it implemented”.

“A countermeasure list is an important step of saying to President Trump: ‘Hang on, we want a deal here, we want a way forward, but if there isn’t a deal Europe also has options at its disposal’.”

The Tánaiste said the Government will also analyse the list and engage with the commission over any “areas of concern for Ireland” that arise.

Mr Harris’s discussion with Mr Walsh also touched on the issue of the pharmaceutical sector where there is an ongoing section 232 investigation being carried out by the US administration.

The Tánaiste said the pharma sector remains an area of significant concern for Ireland.

“Europe must remain calm, must remain united – our strength is in being united, 460 million of us – and must of course prepare for all scenarios.”