Cllr. Eoin O’Driscoll: Canada trade row should be a wake-up call for Europe to champion more trade
23rd August 2026
Ireland should use its EU Presidency to deepen Europe’s trading relationship with Canada and make the case for more international trade, Fine Gael Councillor Eoin O’Driscoll has said.
The call follows the latest escalation in the US-Canada trade dispute, with the United States imposing 50% tariffs on approximately $20 billion of Canadian goods and Canada announcing retaliatory measures.
Councillor O’Driscoll said Ireland’s response to a more protectionist global economy should be more trade, not less.
“Ireland is a small country. Our prosperity depends on our ability to trade with the world. We should be proud of that and be one of Europe’s strongest advocates for open markets and expanded trade.”
“When other countries are putting up barriers to trade, Ireland should be looking for ways to knock them down.”
O’Driscoll said international markets were particularly important to an economy built around innovation and enterprise.
“Irish companies need access to markets far bigger than our own if they are going to scale, invest, innovate and become more productive. Trade is essential to our success as a small open economy.”
He said Canada was an obvious opportunity for Europe because the foundations for increased trade were already in place through the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
EU-Canada trade in goods and services reached €130 billion in 2025, up 80% from 2016, while EU goods exports to Canada have increased by 62% since CETA’s provisional application.
“We don’t need to start from scratch with Canada. CETA is already delivering. The opportunity now is to make much greater use of it and build on it.”
Ireland and Canada agreed in June to maximise opportunities under CETA and to mark its tenth anniversary during Ireland’s EU Presidency. They also identified trade, financial services, technology, innovation and research as areas for deeper cooperation.
O’Driscoll said Ireland should use the Presidency to give the wider EU-Canada relationship greater momentum.
“The timing is right. Canada is looking to deepen its economic relationships, while Europe needs to strengthen its competitiveness and diversify its trading relationships.”
“Ireland should use our Presidency to bring those two things together and make the case for a more open, competitive and outward-looking European economy.”
He said the tenth anniversary of CETA should be used to promote greater take-up of the agreement by businesses and to advance cooperation in areas including innovation, technology and digital trade.
“The lesson from what is happening between Canada and the United States should not be that countries like Ireland need to retreat from international trade.”
“It should be the opposite. We need more trading relationships, more diversified markets and stronger European competitiveness.”
“Ireland has benefited enormously from being an open economy at the heart of the European Single Market and connected to the wider world. We need to work with our allies to stand up for a rules-based international economic system that lets trade flow freely. ”
ENDS
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