Sir, – Now that president Donald Trump has announced a side deal for Ireland in relation to tariffs on Irish whiskey, can we now expect Italy, Spain and France to try to do the same in respect of car parts, steel and consumer goods?
The EU/US trade agreement is now a major element in our responsibilities as an EU member state, along with the formal trade agreements with Japan and Canada.
If member states were to negotiate individual trade deals with those countries for certain products, clearly it would undermine the very successful and unified approach from the EU in relation to world trade, based on European solidarity.
Before we raise our glasses, we should wait to see the devil in the detail and, more importantly, the response from the European Commission. – Yours, etc,
MARTIN McDONALD,
Terenure,
Dublin 12.
Donald Trump’s Irish whiskey tariffs promise: What does it mean?