US tariffs will have little impact on Poland: gov’t minister

"Poland will not be affected by the US tariffs because our [steel and aluminium] exports to the United States are insignificant,” Jadwiga Emilewicz, minister for enterprise and technology, said, as quoted by Poland's PAP news agency.

She added: “Our market will not take a hit, but the European market will."

Emilewicz also said that Poland supported the European Union’s executive arm in its opposition to the new US tariffs, according to PAP.

“This is a serious problem and we support the European Commission,” she said on Friday. “We have also expressed some concern that [the US tariffs] are shattering a consensus that has been in place in trade for many years and that [the move] is against the principles of the World Trade Organisation.”

Brussels has opened a case at the World Trade Organisation after the United States on Friday imposed 25-percent tariffs on steel and 10-percent tariffs on aluminium imports from European Union countries as well as Canada and Mexico, according to reports.

Canada and Mexico have said they will impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States, PAP reported.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP