Irish Prime Minister Michal Martin appeared optimistic, stressing that Dublin and the European Union will endure the duties of Donald Trump.
In particular, he stressed that Ireland and the European Union “will cope with the storm” caused by Donald Trump’s customs duties, but estimates that “negotiations are the road that is qualified”.
“There is no doubt that imposing US customs duties will have a negative impact,” Martin said during a press conference jointly in Dublin with European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath.
Ireland is commercially based with the US and US investments, especially in the technology sector, and these new duties will push its economy a lot, although its important pharmaceutical sector has not been affected by the announcements at present.
“We don’t see any excuse” in the imposition of 20%, announced by US President Donald Trump on EU products, Martin said.
“It is important to focus on the factors we can control, including improving our competitiveness and infrastructure investment,” he added.
The EU Commissioner for Justice and former Ireland Minister of Finance has confirmed, for his part, that the European Union would be prepared for additional countermeasures to protect Irish interests and businesses in the country if discussions are not fruitful.
“We want important and essential negotiations to take place soon, because the EU should answer if the negotiations fail,” he warned.