Trump and von der Leyen meeting is ‘significant and decisive’, McGrath says

By Cate McCurry, PA

The meeting between Donald Trump and the president of the European Commission is a “significant and decisive moment”, with hopes for a tariff deal between the US and the EU, Commissioner Michael McGrath has said.

Mr McGrath, EU Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law and Consumer Protection, said today will involve substantive negotiations between both sides.

The US president will meet European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for talks on the trading relationship between Europe and the US.

The Commission President will meet Mr Trump at his golf resort in Scotland. The EU negotiators are hoping to avoid a 30 per cent US tariff on European goods that was threatened by Mr Trump earlier this month.

Mr McGrath said they are hoping for a conclusion and for a “good outcome” for the EU, but said that it has prepared for other outcomes.

“It’s a significant moment, we hope a decisive moment, and it builds on an enormous amount of work that has been done over quite a period of time,” Mr McGrath said ahead of the meeting.

“President Trump invited President von der Leyen to Scotland for a meeting.

“This follows on the back of intensive negotiations over a number of months.

“It is a live negotiation. We are hoping for a conclusion and for a good outcome on behalf of the European Union, but we also have to be prepared that other outcomes are possible.”

He added: “We are close to the deadline of August 1st. It is a matter of days away, and we are at a point where the final items of negotiation require the input of the key leaders of President von der Leyen on behalf of the European Union and president Trump.

“It is very often the case that you narrow negotiations down to a select number of outstanding items, and I think that is the point where we are at now.

“I had a good discussion with Commissioner [Maros] Sefcovic yesterday. He will also be there today, and I understand his interlocutors on the US side will also be present. So it will be a substantive negotiation today.

“It is not a case of turning up and signing on the dotted line. There will be a real discussion that will happen, and it will take on a dynamic of its own, and let’s see what happens over the course of the afternoon.

“But from the EU’s point of view, we are determined to do all that we can to get a deal for European businesses, because we recognise the cost of uncertainty.

“It manifests in trade and in investment decisions and ultimately in employment and of course, tariffs can cost consumers at the end of the day.

“We want a good deal. We have negotiated hard, and we’re at a point now where hopefully the two leaders can today bring it to a concluding phase.”

He said the EU wants to reach a “comprehensive” agreement and final settlement on all the outstanding issues, including pharmaceuticals.

“Of course, when it comes to pharma, there are genuine issues of availability of medicine that have to be considered, and also affordability of medicine on both sides of the Atlantic,” he added.

“The supply chains are complex in relation to pharma, the European Union has been hugely successful in developing the pharma industry, the broader life sciences sector, and certainly that is the case here in Ireland as well.

“We do want to bring clarity and certainty, including in relation to pharma, over the course of the discussions. It remains to be seen if that can be achieved today.”