‘Calm and measured dialogue' required after Trump tariffs blocked, says Tanaiste
Ireland's deputy premier has called for calm dialogue on trade after a US court blocked Donald Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs.
The ruling from the New York-based Court of International Trade came after several lawsuits arguing the US president has exceeded his authority, left American trade policy dependent on his whims and unleashed economic chaos.
The Trump administration is expected to appeal.
Tariffs must typically be approved by the US Congress, but Mr Trump says he has the power to act because the country's trade deficits amount to a national emergency.
Simon Harris, who is Ireland's deputy premier and foreign affairs minister, said 'calm and measured dialogue' represents the 'best way forward' to resolving trade differences between the EU and the US.
'We note the ruling of the US Court of International Trade in relation to tariffs and also the fact that this ruling is being appealed,' the Tanaiste said.
'I want to stress the position once again today that what is required now is for both sides, the EU and the US, to engage in calm and measured dialogue, and to do so in good faith.
'The continuing uncertainty over tariffs is the source of serious concern for businesses, here in Ireland but also across the EU and the US.
'Businesses that are concerned about their cost base, their workers, and their plans to invest.
'We will continue to monitor the implications of the court decision in the US while keeping our main focus on the negotiations at hand.'
It comes after Mr Trump said he will pause his threatened 50% tariffs on the EU until July 9, following a 'very nice call' with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
In April, Mr Trump announced a 20% tariff on EU goods being sold into the US. He later reduced that to 10% until July 9 to allow for time for talks with Brussels on a potential agreement.
On Friday, the president claimed the talks were 'going nowhere' and said he was recommending the 50% tariff rate comes into effect on June 1.
He rowed back on the decision on Monday, claiming Ms von der Leyen called him asking for an extension to the date.
Irish premier Micheal Martin said earlier this week that tariffs are 'not good for our economy'.
He added: 'It's absolutely important that we can get a realistic and reasonable deal between Europe and the United States to help consumers, to help citizens across the world.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
an hour ago
- The National
Dundee travel firm to auction off 10 buses after closing
The Dundee-based coach company, Fisher Tours, announced last week it would cease operating, with more than 20 staff members being made redundant. It has been reported that no formal liquidator or administrator has been named, and that drivers and mechanics with the now closed firm are still waiting for answers regarding unpaid wages, holiday entitlement, and redundancy settlements. Fishers Tours has now put 10 of its coaches on the auction website Sweeney Kincaid, which is due to go live in June. READ MORE: Labour has 'given up' on by-election amid SNP-Reform contest, says John Swinney Last Monday, drivers and mechanics were reportedly 'stunned' after they were informed that the company would cease trading on Friday, the same week. Fishers Tours had several long-standing contracts with local councils, including transportation agreements to take pupils to and from schools in Dundee and Angus, and is one of the biggest private coach hire companies in the area. According to The Courier, former staff at the firm were told pension payments had allegedly not been made by Fishers since the beginning of the year and that they were still waiting for answers regarding the company's liquidation. 'We're all still in limbo,' one driver told The Courier. 'We left on Friday with no paperwork and no replies to any of our emails asking for the information we need. 'This includes who the administrators are, what will happen to holidays and wages due, a letter of redundancy confirmation or pensions information. 'There are no case numbers yet, to apply for money owed. We were told there would be administrators by Tuesday morning. This hasn't happened. 'Now there are more than 20 lads all panicking. It's an absolute joke. 'All the buses were removed from the yard on Monday. 'How long do we have to wait? It's an absolute shambles.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Hamas must accept hostage deal or be ‘annihilated', warns Israeli defence minister – Middle East crisis live
Update: Date: 2025-05-31T08:10:07.000Z Title: Israel threatens Hamas with 'annihilation' as Trump says Gaza ceasefire 'very close' Content: Israel has said Hamas must accept a hostage deal in Gaza or 'be annihilated', as Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire agreement was 'very close'. It comes amid dire conditions on the ground, with the United Nations warning that Gaza's entire population was at risk of famine. Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported that on Friday, defence minister Israel Katz said Hamas must agree to a ceasefire proposal presented by US envoy Steve Witkoff or be destroyed, after the Palestinian militant group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands. However, Hamas said it was still considering the text. 'The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: accept the terms of the 'Witkoff deal' for the release of the hostages – or be annihilated,' said Katz. Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war in Gaza have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in March after a short-lived truce. In the US, the Trump told reporters 'they're very close to an agreement on Gaza', adding: 'We'll let you know about it during the day or maybe tomorrow.' Meanwhile, food shortages in Gaza persist, with aid only trickling in after the partial lifting by Israel of a more than two-month blockade. Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), called Gaza 'the hungriest place on Earth'. He said: It's the only defined area – a country or defined territory within a country – where you have the entire population at risk of famine. In other developments: Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha), has described the difficulties faced by the UN in delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip as an 'an operational straitjacket'. Laerke said the mission to deliver aid was 'in an operational straitjacket that makes it one of the most obstructed aid operations not only in the world today, but in recent history'. Once truckloads entered Gaza, they were often 'swarmed by desperate people', he said. Israel will not allow a planned meeting in the Palestinian administrative capital of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, to go ahead, an Israeli official said on Saturday, after media reported that Arab ministers planning to attend had been stopped from coming. The delegation included ministers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Palestinian Authority officials said. Israeli airstrikes have struck western Syria, the Israeli military and Syrian state media have said, and reportedly one civilian has been killed in the first such attack on the country in nearly a month. 'A strike from Israeli occupation aircraft targeted sites close to the village of Zama in the Jableh countryside south of Latakia,' state television said. Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday that Iran considers nuclear weapons 'unacceptable', reiterating the country's longstanding position amid delicate negotiations with the United States. Iran has held five rounds of talks with the US in search of a new nuclear agreement to replace the deal with major powers Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Turkey and that he would be open to improving ties, including by meeting Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Child and two adults killed in M5 crash as road remains closed
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
