Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the question and congratulate him on his election to the House. I look forward to working constructively with him. This question is timely because it is important to work together at an EU level on our approach to the transatlantic relationship. The European Union and the US share a strong, mutually beneficial partnership. That was true before the US presidential election and is equally true after the election. This is a partnership which has for decades underpinned global stability, sustainability and prosperity. The transatlantic relationship is essential and must be supported by broad and robust institutional frameworks and bipartisan engagement.

I attended, as the Deputy alluded to, the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on 27 January, during which Ministers held a discussion on European Union relationships with the US. While it was clear that some of the new US Administration's policies will have a potentially challenging implication for the EU, it was agreed that we need to rigorously assess the impact of any actions by the Administration and work in a united way to engage as constructively as possible with it.

The EU and US are stronger and safer when they work together. Ministers noted that Europe is itself an economic heavyweight but that the EU needs to improve its competitiveness. I really believe this. It is not the job of the European Union to commentate on elections in other countries. Of course we need to monitor them, but it is also our job to control what we can control. The European Union is an economic heavyweight but we need to do more with respect to being competitive, innovative, responsive and agile. It is important to focus on the new US Administration’s actual policy decisions and their implications for Ireland and the EU. Ireland and the EU will need in particular to focus on the factors I referenced that are within our control, such as investing in infrastructure to enhance our competitiveness.

In addition to the discussion on EU-US relations at the Foreign Affairs Council last month, EU Heads of State and Government also discussed the issue at their informal retreat in Brussels on 3 February. An important focus of that discussion was the need for EU unity, especially in responding to any decision by the US Administration to impose tariffs on EU goods or services.

See this speech in context