EU to hit €100 billion of US goods in escalation of trade war if talks fail
EU-US Trade War
EU to hit €100 billion of US goods in escalation of trade war if talks fail
The European Commission is expected to share a paper with the US this week to try to kick-start the negotiations
Business Post
14:10
The EU, led by Ursula von der leyen, has drawn up a hitlist of US goods. Picture: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Bloomberg
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Iran says US has 'blown up' any attempt to end the Israel-Iran conflict diplomatically
IRAN'S FOREIGN MINISTER has said the US decided to 'blow up' diplomacy efforts with its strikes on Iranian nuclear sites overnight as world leaders have urged the country to enter negotiations with the US and Israel. The EU had called for 'all sides to step back' after the US bombed three Iranian nuclear sites overnight. European foreign affairs commissioner Kaja Kallas urged Iran, Israel and the US to return to negotiations and prevent further escalation in the Middle East. European foreign ministers, including Tánaiste Simon Harris , will be discussing the issue tomorrow. US President Donald Trump announced 'successful' strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities overnight , in a shock decision and major escalation in the war between Israel and Iran. Israel launched its campaign against Iran two weeks ago over claims that the government there were developing nuclear weapons. 'Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security,' Kallas said this morning, before calling for diplomacy. Advertisement Other international leaders have called for diplomacy to prevail. Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged Iran to return to nuclear dissolvent negotiations with the US this morning. He added that Iran's nuclear programme is a 'grave threat' which the US military action would 'alleviate'. Responding to the EU and UK on X, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi, referring to talks with German, French and Italian leaders, said: 'This week, we held talks with the E3/EU when the US decided to blow up that diplomacy. What conclusion would you draw?' He added: 'To Britain and the EU High Rep, it is Iran which must 'return' to the table. But how can Iran return to something it never left, let alone blew up?' Earlier, Araghchi condemned the US attacks on key nuclear sites as 'outrageous' earlier . He said his country has a right to defend its sovereignty and that the US strikes would have 'ever lasting consequences'. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also called for a swift return to diplomacy after the US struck three nuclear sites in Iran overnight. He said Iran must 'immediately' enter negotiations with the US and Israel to find a diplomatic solution. Iran has launched up to 30 missiles towards Israel this morning , targeting sites such as the Ben Gurion International Airport and military hubs. Three bombs made impact at residential sites in Israel, it has been reported. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
The Journal
2 hours ago
- The Journal
Ireland's reaction to the US bombing Iran: 'There is an urgent need for de-escalation'
LAST UPDATE | 32 mins ago IRELAND HAS CALLED for an urgent de-escalation of tension and the use of diplomacy after the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris has warned that the risk of an 'extremely dangerous spiral of escalation' in the Middle East is now 'more real', following US strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites . Harris said there is an 'urgent need for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy' to resolve the conflict. He added that he will discuss the issue tomorrow with his European counterparts in Brussels. His comments were echoed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Both Harris and Martin said that Iran needs to step away from any possible development of nuclear weapons. 'A negotiated solution is the way forward,' Martin said in a statement. The government remains in contact with embassies in Israel and Iran. Staff in Tehran left the country on Friday and have since been working remotely. Roughly 200 and 30 Irish citizen are currently in Israel and Iran, respectively. Support for those who wish to leave remains in place, Harris said. US President Donald Trump announced 'successful' strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities overnight, in a shock decision and major escalation in the war between Israel and Iran. Advertisement Israel launched its campaign against Iran two weeks ago over claims that the government there were developing nuclear weapons. Harris said while Ireland is 'united in the clear view' that Iran should not possess such weapons, the issue should be settled through diplomacy. 'Any alternative to that is simply too dangerous for civilians, for the Middle East region and for global security,' he said this morning. Labour TD and party spokesperson for foreign affairs Duncan Smith said tomorrow's Foreign Affairs Council of the EU meeting should maintain its focus on calling for a diplomatic solution, as well as debating the EU-Israel trade agreement. Iran, in response, has launched up to 30 missiles towards Israel this morning , targeting sites such as the Ben Gurion International Airport and military hubs. Three bombs made impact at residential sites in Israel, it has been reported. The Fine Gael leader welcomed initial reports that suggest there has not been an increase in off-site radiation levels as a result of the strikes on the facilities in Iran by the US last night. He added that US or other interventions in the future should use the reports as a 'warning as to how easily that could change should further escalation occur, and the disaster that could pose.' Radiation leaks from Iran's facilities, the Fordow site in particular, could pollute a radius of up to 50km, it has been estimated, and cause severe and reactive dust storms right across the Middle East. Global nuclear watchdog IAEA confirmed today that has been no increases in off-site radiation. An emergency meeting has been convened with the board of governors tomorrow. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
EU may be finally approaching ‘point of departure' on Gaza war
After 20 months of war that has seen tens of thousands of Palestinians killed, large parts of Gaza reduced to rubble and continued warnings about dire humanitarian conditions and possible famine, the European Union may finally be approaching a 'point of departure' in its relations with Israel , several diplomats say. Throughout Israel's military campaign in Gaza the response of the EU to the conflict has been defined by its inability to agree on a response. For a long period Spain and Ireland, as well as Belgium and Slovenia at times, were lonely outliers calling for the bloc to use what leverage it has to hold Israel accountable for the mounting deaths of Palestinian civilians. More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel's invasion of Gaza, which followed the October 7th, 2023 attacks by Hamas militants in southern Israel. READ MORE In a sign the tide of opinion had begun to shift against Israel, some 17 of the EU's 27 states last month backed a review into whether Israel's actions in Gaza had breached human rights commitments it signed up to, as part of an EU-Israel association agreement. The agreement governing relations between the two has been in place since 2000. Crucially, it includes a free trade deal, which is economically valuable to Israel, given the EU is its biggest trading partner. The EU review said evidence 'indicates' Israel's actions in Gaza had breached its human rights obligations under the deal. Foreign ministers are meeting in Brussels on Monday to discuss the findings. One big question mark is how Israel's war with Iran will shift the dynamics in the room when the doors close behind the ministers. The Coalition of states who favour tougher consequences for Israel has grown to include Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Portugal and the Netherlands . The push to order a review of the EU-Israel deal was led by the Dutch, a traditional ally of Israel. The fact the move came from a government who previously sat in the middle ground of the debate probably convinced others to shift position. One of the union's two big powers, France, was also on board. Just because 17 capitals voted in favour of a review taking place does not mean they will all agree about what should be done now. 'This group is not homogenous, there are those who would wish to see more immediate measures taken [and] those who still want to give Israel a chance to act,' one diplomat involved in negotiations said. 'It is clear that the grouping of 17 member states is not one big bloc ... I'm hopeful that most of that group will stay together,' another diplomat said. Behind the scenes the Dutch are trying to keep the wide level of support intact, to secure a voting majority in support of some EU action to put pressure on Israel. 'We don't expect any decisions on Monday,' one EU diplomat said of the foreign ministers meeting. Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign affairs chief who chairs the meetings, will take soundings from the room about the findings of the review. It is likely Ms Kallas will be asked to go away and prepare possible options to put on the table at the next meeting of foreign ministers on July 15th, several diplomatic sources said. A group of nine states recently suggested the EU needs to do more to cut off trade with illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and other occupied Palestinian territories. In a separate June 10th letter to Ms Kallas, the Swedish government said the EU should 'urgently' adopt sanctions targeting Israeli ministers who promote illegal settlements. There had been signs that even Germany, one of Israel's biggest defenders, might be poised to change its position. That was before the fighting between Israel and Iran escalated so significantly. Comments from German chancellor Friedrich Merz since then suggest the government is rowing in behind Israel, lowering the chances of Berlin supporting any EU penalties or sanction. Hungary and the Czech Republic have consistently opposed the EU taking against Israel. That means suspending the EU-Israel agreement in full is off the table, given such a move would require the unanimous backing of all 27 states. Suspending elements of the deal may only require a majority. One EU diplomat speculated recent strikes in Iran, which Israel justified as necessary to prevent Tehran developing nuclear weapons, should not divert the world's attention from the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The EU should be careful not to 'fall into the trap' and totally shift its focus, the diplomat said. Agnes Bertrand Sanz of aid charity Oxfam said the cost of inaction by the EU would be measured in lives. 'Homes flattened, hospitals destroyed and looming famine ... There is no time for more debate,' she said. The cumbersome process of agreeing on a common foreign policy position in a union of 27 governments, means any EU decision to sanction Israel – if a decision is taken – probably remains weeks or even months away.
