DUBLIN, Ireland: Tanaiste Simon Harris has said it would be "bizarre" for the United States to impose new tariffs on EU pharmaceutical exports while trade talks are ongoing.
His comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump again threatened to target the pharmaceutical sector with tariffs, a move that would have major consequences for Ireland's export-heavy economy.
Speaking in the Oval Office this week, Trump said he wanted to boost domestic medicine production, claiming the U.S. no longer makes its own pharmaceuticals and that companies are based in Ireland, China, and elsewhere. "All I have to do is impose a tariff," Trump said, adding that the higher the tariff, the faster companies would respond. He said such a move would happen in the "not too distant future."
While a 90-day suspension is in place on a broader 20% U.S. tariff on EU goods, a 10% baseline tariff remains. Pharmaceuticals, for now, have been exempt. But Trump's repeated threats have raised concerns in Ireland, where the industry employs around 45,000 people and makes up a large share of exports.
Ireland exported 223.8 billion euros worth of goods in total last year, with one-third going to the U.S. Of the 72.6 billion euros in U.S. imports from Ireland, around €58 billion came from pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
"It would be bizarre and not good if, whilst in the middle of talks about trade, one of the parties to the talks was to do something that could cause economic damage or harm to the other," Harris said ahead of a Cabinet meeting. He urged "calm measures" and "substantive engagement."
Taoiseach Micheal Martin also weighed in, saying "everything will be on the table" during upcoming talks. "Things are getting announced, things change on a weekly basis," he said, adding that the best path forward is negotiation.
Asked about potential U.S. pressure on the EU to reduce trade with China, Harris said the bloc was open to discussions but would maintain its own position.
"We are the European Union, we're not the United States of America," he said. "We'd like to keep that negotiation on the basis of the relationship between the EU and the U.S."
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