The European Commission has welcomed US President Donald Trump's indication that tariffs on Irish whiskey are being removed, but says it must wait for the legal details before assessing the impact of the move.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, commission spokesperson Olof Gill reiterated the EU's long-standing opposition to tariffs, describing them as taxes that are ultimately borne by consumers.
"We oppose tariffs in all their forms," he said. "What we advocate for is the reduction or elimination of tariffs."
"Any form of tariff reduction is welcome. We welcome the announcement by President Trump, but we need to wait to see the details on how the US proposes to turn this into law," he said.
The commission is continuing to work with the US to identify areas for tariff reductions, having submitted a list of products to American authorities in July.
"Irish whiskey was on that list. So we're all on the same page here," he said.
While Mr Gill said it was natural for individual countries to lobby on behalf of key industries, he stressed that the Commission, member states and industry representatives were working together to present "one voice" on trade policy.
Asked when any potential tariff changes could take effect, he said no timeline was available. However, he noted that the removal of US tariffs on Scotch whisky took around three months to move from announcement to implementation, suggesting a similar timeframe could be possible.
Mr Gill was reacting to Mr Trump's decision to lift tariffs on Irish whiskey, but not on any other EU goods.
Mr Trump announced the move at the end of the Irish Open in Doonbeg in Co Clare yesterday.
.@POTUS: "It was very unfair because others had the relief and they didn't, so I thought I'd do it. Actually, Shane [Lowry] asked me about it, too. A lot of people asked me." https://t.co/vmp3JCtYs6
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 13, 2026
His announcement has been welcomed by the Government and by the representatives of the Irish whiskey industry.
It is understood the Taoiseach Micheál Martin raised the issue of tariffs on Irish whiskey with Mr Trump during their meeting at Farmleigh on Saturday and the US President promised to look at it.
Trump tells Irish Open crowd he is removing Irish whiskey tariffs
Speaking on RTÉ's Today with David McCullagh programme, Micheál Martin said that Irish whiskey is a protected geographic product, and he does not believe there will be any significant blowback from other EU states.
Tánaiste and Minister for Finance Simon Harris also welcomed the announcement, saying that, "Irish whiskey is a world-renowned product, supporting jobs and communities right across Ireland."
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Director of the Irish Whiskey Association Eoin Ó Catháin also welcomed the move, saying it was a vote of confidence in the industry and will be a "gamechanger" for it.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr O'Catháin said the US is the biggest and most important market for Irish whiskey, and revealed that preliminary figures from last year show that sales were down around 9%.
"This isn't solely attributable to tariffs," he added, "but they have definitely played a role".
Irish Whiskey Association 'delighted' with tariff announcement
