Tánaiste to address proposed US tariffs' impact today

The Dáil, which is the Irish Parliament, will meet again today after taking a break last week. Tánaiste Simon Harris will provide an update to the Cabinet on recent tariffs proposed by the United States. He will also discuss countermeasures announced by the European Union. The US has put a 25% tariff on all imports of steel and aluminium, effective from March 12. In response, the EU announced it would reimpose suspended tariffs starting April 1 and suggested new measures for mid-April. While the US is expected to announce more tariffs on April 2, Simon Harris has just returned from the US, where he participated in St Patrick’s Day events in New York and Philadelphia. During his visit, he engaged with the business community and highlighted the strength of the Irish economy. Harris noted that over 200,000 Americans work for more than 770 Irish-owned companies in the US. He emphasized Ireland's commitment to investing in infrastructure to support foreign direct investment, which creates jobs. He will inform the Cabinet about the work of a group analyzing the impact of these tariffs on Ireland. There will also be a meeting of the Government Trade Forum on March 21, ahead of the anticipated new US tariffs. Harris will underline the importance of collaborating with the European Commission and EU partners in responding to the tariffs.