Ireland will use "every avenue" at its disposal to deal with US tariffs that are set to be introduced from Wednesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said.
United States President Donald Trump said the reciprocal tariffs he is expected to announce will include all nations, not just a smaller group of 10 to 15 countries with the biggest trade imbalances.
As well as being part of the joint EU response, Ireland is also pursuing bilateral contacts with the US ahead of the introduction of the measures.
Speaking at Government Buildings this morning, Mr Martin said Ireland is "fundamentally part of the European Union" and will be part of the EU response.
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"Trade is an exclusive function of the commission but obviously we will also be intensifying our bilateral contacts with the US, both with the US administration and indeed with the companies who are going to impacted by any potential tariffs," he said.
"So we will be using every avenue at our disposal but primarily with the European Union and bilaterally and with companies," he added.
The Taoiseach said tariffs are bad for the economy and will negatively impact economic growth across the world.
Europe will take its time in responding to the tariffs, he said, and "in that period the members states working together can be strategic in terms of response".
"Strategic responses are important, in other words, that we don't invite more damage in our response and that we do it in a way that maximises Europe's leverage here," he said.
Mr Martin said the ESRI is predicting a fall in GNP and Ireland must diversify to avoid this.
He said the Government will bring legislation to the Dáil shortly to provide for the EU-Canadian trade deal, and Europe has to enhance competitiveness.
"That which we can control, we need to do better at. In Ireland specifically, it means better delivery and investment in capital infrastructure, specifically on water, grid connections and the energy portfolio," he said.
The Taoiseach said new investment in these areas will help to offset the damage of tariffs, bring down the costs for businesses and help Ireland rebalance.
Read more: Govt needs to 'control the controllable' as tariffs loom
Mr Trump has promised to unveil a massive tariff plan, which he dubbed 'Liberation Day'.
He has already imposed tariffs on aluminium, steel and autos, along with increased tariffs on all goods from China.
"You'd start with all countries," he told reporters aboard Air Force One. "Essentially all of the countries that we're talking about."
White House economics adviser Kevin Hassett recently told Fox Business that the administration's tariffs focus would be on 10 to 15 countries with the worst trade imbalances, though he did not list them.
Mr Trump sees tariffs as a way of protecting the domestic economy from unfair global competition and a bargaining chip for better terms for the US.
However, concerns about a trade war are unsettling markets and creating fears of a recession in the US.
Mr Trump has said he will impose a suite of reciprocal tariffs against nations that charge fees on US exports, promising to match those countries' duties.
'Nobody wants tariffs'
Minister for Social Protection Dara Calleary said Ireland will respond collectively with the EU to the threat of tariffs.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime programme, he said working alongside the EU has helped Ireland through a number of economic shocks over the last few years.
The minister said Ireland have faced "faced economic shocks before", noting Brexit, Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine.
"We defended Irish interests, we got the Irish economy and the Irish country through by working collectively and cohesively with the European Union," he said, adding that "nobody wants tariffs".
"We will negotiate, we will work, we will defend Irish interests within Europe, we will put forward a very strong case, as we have been doing for many weeks now, about what Ireland is bringing to the US," he added.
Contact between member states 'intensified'
The European Commission said contacts between it and member states has intensified ahead of this week's announcement.
EU trade spokesperson Olof Gill confirmed that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had spoken by phone to the Taoiseach yesterday.
Mr Martin described the call as "useful and constructive", adding that Ms Von der Leyen "outlined her expectations" regarding the planned imposition of tariffs.
He said on social media last night that he had "raised Ireland's particular focus on the food, drinks and pharma industries" and that "we both agreed that the EU should be measured and considered in any response, and focused on our own competitiveness, and an ambitious trade agenda".
Mr Gill said the fact that President Von der Leyen had been in touch with Mr Martin shows that constant contact is happening.
"And it shows a high degree of convergence between how we act on these complex issues," he said.
"That will continue, and we expect that our member states will be in touch with us and we will be in touch with them as we build up to what promises to be a busy week," he added.
Mr Gill said two-way contact between the commission, which handles EU trade, and member states was "essential to ensuring that any response we come forward with to any current or future US measures on tariffs is well-calibrated, well targeted, timely, strikes the right balance between having the appropriate impact on the US economy and achieving the minimal amount of impact here in the EU economy".
Additional reporting by Reuters
