logo
EU-US trade deal live updates - 15 per cent tariffs agreed and trade war averted

EU-US trade deal live updates - 15 per cent tariffs agreed and trade war averted

Businesses across the country are sighing in relief after a 15 per cent import tariff deal was struck on most European Union goods between the US and EU.
This is five per cent higher than the current rate, however, it is half of the 30 per cent that US President Donald Trump originally threatened.
While it will take time for officials to work out the full impact of the deal, it is being widely welcomed as a bigger trade war has been averted.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said 15 per cent is 'not to be underestimated' but insisted 'it's the best we could get'.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has insisted the deal is good for businesses, investors and consumers and will protect many jobs in Ireland.
He said: 'The agreement achieved in Scotland between Presidents von der Leyen and Trump is very welcome. It brings clarity and predictability to the trading relationship between the EU and the US – the biggest in the world."
The biggest worry is for the pharmaceutical sector, which isn't included in the deal struck between President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday.
While there is currently zero per cent on EU pharmaceutical imports to the US, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke says future tariffs on the sector 'would not increase beyond 15 per cent'.
Follow live updates below or check out the latest headlines on our homepage.
11:02 Ciara O'Loughlin
The biggest worry is for the pharmaceutical sector, which isn't included in the deal struck between President Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday.
While there is currently zero per cent on EU pharmaceutical imports to the US, Enterprise Minister Peter Burke says future tariffs on the sector 'would not increase beyond 15 per cent'.
He told RTÉ's Morning Ireland: 'Pharmaceuticals are very complex. A lot of the product that is exported over to the US is not a complete product.
'Almost 70pc of it is components of the final product that will come together and that's why we do need to ensure that we have a very keen rate, to ensure we incentivise innovation in that sector, because that's so important for the global economy.
'We've about 100,000 employees in Ireland, 130 billion in exports in the life sciences sector, and the Government will be bringing forward a separate life sciences strategy later on this year, which will be key in continuing the investment and offering a very competitive proposition from Ireland's perspective.'
11:01 Ciara O'Loughlin
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has insisted the deal is good for businesses, investors and consumers and will protect many jobs in Ireland.
He said: 'The agreement achieved in Scotland between Presidents von der Leyen and Trump is very welcome. It brings clarity and predictability to the trading relationship between the EU and the US – the biggest in the world."
The Taoiseach added that the government will now study the details of the agreement "in the weeks and months ahead'.
He added: ''It does mean that there will now be higher tariffs than there have been and this will have an impact on trade between the EU and the US, making it more expensive and more challenging.
'However, it also creates a new era of stability that can hopefully contribute to a growing and deepening relationship between the EU and the US, which is important not just for the EU and the US, but for the global economy.
'Given the very real risk that existed for escalation and for the imposition of punitively high tariffs, this news will be welcomed by many.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Donald Trump confirms pharma tariff will be 15pc for EU as White House reveals fact sheet on trade deal
Donald Trump confirms pharma tariff will be 15pc for EU as White House reveals fact sheet on trade deal

Irish Independent

timean hour ago

  • Irish Independent

Donald Trump confirms pharma tariff will be 15pc for EU as White House reveals fact sheet on trade deal

The clarification should bring an end to the confusion that has surrounded this aspect of the EU-US trade deal that was finalised by President Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, at Turnberry on Sunday. Trump's administration is doing a separate investigation of pharma imports to America, to assess if over-reliance on them is a threat to national security. The expectation is that the results of this investigation, expected next month, will lead to a hefty tariff on pharma. Trump has threatened a levy of up to 200pc, as he attempts to strong-arm US pharma companies to re-shore their manufacturing operations in America. After the deal was struck on Sunday night, European Commission officials were insistent that no matter what global tariff was levelled on pharma, the EU would be covered by the 15pc regime. In the fact sheet published today by the US, it is stated; 'As part of President Trump's strategy to establish balanced trade, the European Union will pay the United States a tariff rate of 15cp, including on autos and auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors.' The White House confirms that the EU will purchase $750 billion in US energy and make new investments of $600bn in America by 2028. The fact sheet also claims that the 'colossal' trade deal will enable America farmers, fishermen and manufacturers to increase their sales to the EU, thereby reducing the trade deficit. It say the EU will remove all tariffs on US industrial goods that it imports, which creates 'enormous opportunities for American-made and American-grown goods to compete and win in Europe'. It adds: 'This new market access will drive growth across the American economy—fuelling exports, expanding production, and allowing American businesses of all sizes to reach millions of new customers across the Atlantic.' In terms of US food imports to Europe, the fact sheet says the two sides will work together to address non-tariff barriers – which would include certain food standards applied to beef and chicken – that affect trade. This would include 'streamlining requirements for sanitary certificates for US pork and dairy products'. Barriers for digital trade will also be addressed, and the EU is said to have confirmed that it will not adopt usage fees. Summarising the benefits of the deal from an American perspective, the fact sheet declares; 'This new tariff regime will generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually and help to close the longstanding trade imbalance between the United States and Europe by encouraging local sourcing, reshoring production, and ensuring that foreign producers contribute their fair share to the American economy.'

Trump confirms that pharma tariff will be 15pc for EU
Trump confirms that pharma tariff will be 15pc for EU

Irish Independent

timean hour ago

  • Irish Independent

Trump confirms that pharma tariff will be 15pc for EU

The clarification should bring an end to the confusion that has surrounded this aspect of the EU-US trade deal that was finalised by President Donald Trump and Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, at Turnberry on Sunday. Trump's administration is doing a separate investigation of pharma imports to America, to assess if over-reliance on them is a threat to national security. The expectation is that the results of this investigation, expected next month, will lead to a hefty tariff on pharma. Trump has threatened a levy of up to 200pc, as he attempts to strong-arm US pharma companies to re-shore their manufacturing operations in America. After the deal was struck on Sunday night, European Commission officials were insistent that no matter what global tariff was levelled on pharma, the EU would be covered by the 15pc regime. In the fact sheet published today by the US, it is stated; 'As part of President Trump's strategy to establish balanced trade, the European Union will pay the United States a tariff rate of 15cp, including on autos and auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors.' The sectoral tariffs on steel, aluminum, and copper will remain unchanged, with the EU continuing to pay 50pc. The White House confirms that the EU will purchase $750 billion in US energy and make new investments of $600bn in America by 2028. The fact sheet also claims that the 'colossal' trade deal will enable America farmers, fishermen and manufacturers to increase their sales to the EU, thereby reducing the trade deficit. It say the EU will remove all tariffs on US industrial goods that it imports, which creates 'enormous opportunities for American-made and American-grown goods to compete and win in Europe'. It adds: 'This new market access will drive growth across the American economy—fuelling exports, expanding production, and allowing American businesses of all sizes to reach millions of new customers across the Atlantic.' In terms of US food imports to Europe, the fact sheet says the two sides will work together to address non-tariff barriers – which would include certain food standards applied to beef and chicken – that affect trade. This would include 'streamlining requirements for sanitary certificates for US pork and dairy products'. Barriers for digital trade will also be addressed, and the EU is said to have confirmed that it will not adopt usage fees. Summarising the benefits of the deal from an American perspective, the fact sheet declares; 'This new tariff regime will generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue annually and help to close the longstanding trade imbalance between the United States and Europe by encouraging local sourcing, reshoring production, and ensuring that foreign producers contribute their fair share to the American economy.'

MSD plans $3bn cuts amid competition for Irish-manufactured cancer drug Keytruda
MSD plans $3bn cuts amid competition for Irish-manufactured cancer drug Keytruda

Irish Examiner

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

MSD plans $3bn cuts amid competition for Irish-manufactured cancer drug Keytruda

MSD is slashing $3bn (€2.59bn) from its annual spending as it braces for off-brand competition to its Irish-manufactured cancer drug Keytruda, the best-selling medicine in the world. The drugmaker will cut administrative, sales and research jobs, as well as reduce its real estate holdings around the world, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. The company expects the restructuring to be completed by the end of 2027, the year before Keytruda's key patents expire and the drug faces US government price cuts. The company said it plans to reinvest the savings into developing new drugs and launching new products. MSD shares were down 1.9% in premarket trading in New York. For now, MSD's cash cow is still propelling growth. Keytruda beat analysts' sales estimates in the second quarter, growing by 9% year-over-year and helping the company outperform Wall Street's profit expectations. Quarterly revenue was in-line with analysts' view, and MSD narrowed its full-year projections for sales and profit. The planned restructuring comes just days before US president Donald Trump's long-delayed tariffs on pharmaceutical imports are slated to start. Levies are expected to begin August 1 on drugs brought in from the European Union, with broad tariffs on the entire sector promised later in the month. MSD has already taken defensive action, stockpiling enough doses of Keytruda, which is primarily manufactured in Ireland, to protect itself from any tariffs imposed in 2025. It also previously disclosed plans to invest more than $9bn (€7.78bn) in US manufacturing over the next four years, part of an effort to make more of its medicines domestically. The company reiterated that it expects to spend $200m (€172m) on tariffs in 2025, a number that reflects levies already in place and doesn't account for future tariffs on pharmaceuticals. MSD has lost more than 30% of its value over the last 12 months amid mounting investor concern about its post-Keytruda future. The cancer medicine accounts for nearly half of the company's revenue and continues to grow, foreshadowing a multibillion-dollar hole in the company's business plan. It's also still dealing with the fallout over its second-biggest medicine, the HPV vaccine Gardasil. A dramatic decline in Chinese demand forced it to halt shipments to the country and rescind its previous forecast of $11bn (€9.5bn) in annual sales of the shot by 2030. Gardasil sales fell 55% in the second quarter. Excluding China, sales declined 3%. The company has touted Winrevair, approved to treat a rare lung disease, as a blockbuster in the making and pointed to a pipeline of new medicines for cancer, cardiovascular disease and HIV. Sales of Winrevair outperformed analysts' estimates in the second quarter, an encouraging sign for its ongoing launch. The company's animal health business beat expectations on the quarter, while its vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella fell short of projections. MSD's plan to ease Keytruda's inevitable decline rests in part on persuading patients and physicians to adopt an easier-to-use version of the drug, expected to win approval later this year. The revamped Keytruda, which is administered through a shot rather than an intravenous infusion, will eventually capture between 30% and 40% of the market for the original, MSD said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store