US Multinationals In Ireland For ‘Long Haul,’ Says Irish Premier

AUSTIN, Texas, March 12 (Bernama-dpa) - Irish premier Micheal Martin is adamant that US multinationals who have invested in Ireland are committed to working in the country for the “long haul.”

The Taoiseach was commenting ahead of his much-anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Wednesday when Ireland’s trading relationship with the US is expected to be discussed, reported German news agency dpa.

Martin also made clear Trump is “always welcome” in Ireland when asked if he intends to adopt a tactic similar to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and invite the president to visit the country during the Oval Office exchange.

The Taoiseach was speaking to reporters in Austin, Texas on Tuesday.

Martin picked the Lone Star State for the first stop in his week-long series of St Patrick’s Week engagements in the United States. He said the choice of Texas was “intentional” given the strong record of Irish companies investing in Texas and Texas-based companies investing in Ireland.

The Fianna Fail leader said that the “two-way street” of investment is something he intends to highlight in his discussions with Trump in a bid to address concerns he may voice around a trade imbalance between the two countries.

The meeting comes amid heightened concern that the president’s protectionist approach to tariffs and tax could pose a significant risk to an Irish economy that is in large part sustained by long-standing investment by US multinationals.

In his message to companies operating in Ireland on Monday, he said to “hold the nerve” and not “react too quickly” to the potential major policy shifts by the administration in Washington.

On Tuesday, he was asked whether he fears some multinationals may not hold their nerve and start to move operations back to the US side.

The Taoiseach said successful companies operating in Ireland had survived by adapting and changing when circumstances change.

“The actual reaction of multinationals that I met has been very positive,” he added.

“I met with Microsoft last week in Dublin. They’ve been here 40 years in Ireland. I spoke to a number of pharmaceutical companies. They’re in Ireland for the long haul. I think what will happen is there will be a debate in the US, independent of any particular European country or Ireland. So, I think we have to just monitor the situation, and see how it evolves and develops.

“We’re a small open trading economy, so we believe in free trade as a small open trading economy. It’s been good for Ireland. That’s our perspective. United States is a much bigger entity, so it comes at it from a different perspective.”

--BERNAMA-dpa