US tariffs of 30% on Irish imports would ‘stop trade from functioning’, Simon Harris has warned.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, US President Donald Trump announced that America “must move away from these long-term-large, and persistent, trade deficits, engendered by your tariff, and non-tariff, policies and trade barriers.”
"The United States of America has been ripped off on TRADE (and MILITARY!), by friend and foe, alike, for DECADES. It has come at a cost of TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS, and it is just not sustainable any longer - And never was!" - President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/lF2SDBBd1a
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 14, 2025
He added that unless an agreement could be reached, EU goods imported into the US would face a 30% tariff from August 1st.
On The Pat Kenny Show, the Tánaiste said the Government has to be “clear and honest” that Ireland is facing a “moment of major economic challenge”.
“There is a very significant difference between baseline 10% tariffs and an extraordinary level of tariffs of 30% on the European Union,” Minister Harris explained.
“We’ve got to really pull together now as a country and we’ve got to pull together as a European Union and work our way through this.
“I believe it’s still possible to have a negotiated agreement because the trade relationship between Ireland and the US - and the US and the EU - matters.
“It matters in both directions but it is a deeply concerning development that when the European Union was engaging in good faith - and was very, very close to what we believed was a framework agreement - that this development has now happened over the course of the weekend.”
President Donald Trump meets with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. Picture by: Alamy.com.Minister Harris said the priority for the European Union and its negotiators should be to remain “calm”, noting that “we’ve been here before”.
“I think in his heart of hearts, [Trump] knows, as a businessman, that tariffs of that level would not just disrupt trade but in many ways stop trade as we know it from functioning between Europe and the US,” he argued.
“I do still believe there’s a landing zone here for a deal.
“But one of the big challenges right now is the constant level of volatility and uncertainty that this is causing.
“Because as you know, the one thing businesses like to know in terms of job creation and investment is, what environment are they operating in?”
Last year, trade between Ireland and the US amounted to €73 billion.
Main image: Taoiseach Micheál Martin with US President Donald Trump. Photograph: Tasos Katopodis / Government of Ireland/Via RollingNews.ie
