05 March 2021
An Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar T.D and Minister of State for Trade Promotion Robert Troy T.D. have this evening welcomed the announcement made by the EU Commission and the United States regarding the suspension of tariff measures by both sides in relation to the long-running civilian aircraft trade dispute.
An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said:
“This evening’s news that the EU and US have agreed to mutually suspend their respective tariffs in relation to the aircraft trade dispute, to allow talks to happen, is really welcome. It will provide great relief to both our exporters and importers that have been negatively impacted by the tariffs, particularly our exporters of quality goods like Irish cream liqueur, butter and cheese and our importers of animal feedstuff.
“This de-escalation is something that I have advocated strongly for in the EU Council of Trade Ministers. Ireland is committed to free and open trade. It is what allowed us to rebuild after the financial crisis and it will be crucial as we recover from the pandemic.
“Ireland has always maintained a very strong and warm relationship with the United States and that includes our trade relationship. This decision is an early sign of both the EU and US hitting the ‘reset’ button on their trade relationship. I hope both parties use this time now to meaningfully engage with each other so that we can resolve this dispute once and for all.”
Commenting on the announcement, Minister Robert Troy added,
“As a Member State not party to the issues at the heart of the dispute, Ireland was caught in the crosshairs in regard to the tariff measures imposed by both the EU and US. Ireland has been a champion of the EU’s approach in seeking a mutually agreed settlement to this dispute as we know the damaging consequences punitive tariffs can have on a trader’s competitiveness.
“Livelihoods on both sides of the Atlantic can be severely impacted by barriers to trade and therefore this announcement is hopefully a timely boost to affected industries and businesses including our SMEs that have built a reputation for developing quality Irish goods for the US market.”
