TÁNAISTE Simon Harris is expected hold a series of crisis meetings with his European counterparts ahead of a Wednesday’s expected announcement around US trade tariffs from President Donald Trump.
Mr Harris will field calls from Dutch Trade Minister Reinette Klever and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen over building a coherent European response strategy to the United States’ punitive economic measures against the EU. The Tánaiste will then host Croatian Foreign Minister Gordan Grlić-Radman during a visit to Dublin.
Mr Harris said that discussions will seek to refocus European efforts to approach the impending crisis in a ‘calm, strategic and measured fashion’ all while engaging the US in a friendly and collegiate, diplomatic fashion.
In a statement, the Tánaiste said: “How Ireland and the EU respond to the coming days and weeks won’t just impact the months and years ahead but our economic model and wellbeing for the next generation.”
It is understood that the series of meetings held by Mr Harris will also address the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, especially in the wake of the US’s first public disagreement with Vladmir Putin since Donald Trump took office in January this year.
The Tánaiste has made it clear that any peace deal relies on Ukrainian participation in peace negotiations and that Ireland is in favour of Ukraine joining the European Union. Mr Harris is likely to stress the importance of supporting Ukraine’s accession plan to his European counterparts.
This week’s meetings come in the wake of a call which took place yesterday between An Taoiseach Micheál Martin and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. The Taoiseach described this discussion as ‘useful and constructive’, saying that both he and Ms Von der Leyen had ‘outlined their expectations’ around a European approach to incoming trade tariffs from the US.
“Ireland’s particular focus on the food, drinks and pharma industries,” Mr Martin said.
