‘No doubt’ EU will meet Trump’s tariff deadline, minister says

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

There is “no doubt” the European Union will meet Donald Trump’s July 4th tariff deadline, a minister has said.

On Thursday, the US president said that goods from the EU would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year’s trade framework by July 4th.

It appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU vehicles would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week.

While the announcement came after what he said was a “great call” with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, President Trump seemed displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalise the trade arrangement reached last year.

“A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to zero,” Mr Trump posted on social media.

“I agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels.”

Speaking to reporters on Friday, a minister in the Department of Foreign Affairs, Thomas Byrne, said “a deal is a deal” and the EU’s process is likely to be concluded “well before” President Trump’s deadline.

He added: “Work is ongoing, even this week, between the European Parliament and the member states to tie up the loose ends on that agreement from a European side, and that work will be completed.

“There’s no doubt about it.”

Byrne, who was attending a Europe Day reception in Dublin city centre, was asked if he trusts Trump to keep to the agreement.

He responded: “The United States will keep the deal with the European Union, we’ve seen that.

“We don’t react to every single utterance from the White House.

“There’s an agreement done, and it’s an agreement that I think will work for both sides, particularly to have the certainty that businesses need.”

He added: “At the end of the day, the European Union is a democracy, and this agreement has to be put through the democratic process on the EU side, and that’s all that’s happening at the moment.

“And I think actually we concluded that well before the July 4th deadline that President Trump has mentioned.”