Mullooly seeks EU clarification after new Trump pharma tariff threat

Midlands-North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly has today called on the European Commission to urgently clarify the status of last month’s EU-US agreement on pharmaceutical tariffs, following reports of a new threat from Washington to impose tariffs of up to 100% on branded pharmaceutical imports from companies that are not investing in US manufacturing plants.

Commenting on the urgency Mullooly said; "The European Commission must clarify immediately for Pharma companies here this morning, whether last night’s threat of a new tariff of 100% on branded pharmaceutical imports from companies that are not building manufacturing plants in the US will affect the so-called EU deal of 15% struck last month with President Trump."

“This is not just a technical detail in a trade dispute,” MEP Mullooly warned. "Ireland is far too vulnerable. Home to some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers, including Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Eli Lilly, we exported €23.6 billion in pharmaceutical products in the first quarter of 2025 alone and the key players here in the Midlands , West, North-East and North-West were promised the 15% deal with Trump after the Scotland capitulation would bring stability. The sector accounts for roughly 70,000 direct jobs in Ireland and represents a disproportionately large share of Ireland’s total exports and corporate tax revenue so the big pharma firms here and their workers need stability- we can’t continue waking up to this sort of uncertainty .

“Is this deal really a deal? We need answers now", Mullooly said. "The workers and companies driving Ireland’s pharmaceutical sector cannot be left in the dark about whether yesterday’s agreement still stands today. The Commission must stand firm and defend stability for this sector, which is the backbone of our exports, our tax revenues, and tens of thousands of families’ livelihoods.”