Polish official warns trade wars could trigger int'l tensions
The chairman of the Polish parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee warned in the European Parliament on Wednesday against trade wars after advocating in the US for a sustained American military role in Central Europe.
Pawel Kowal recently took part in a joint delegation of MPs from Poland, France, Germany, and Estonia to Washington, lobbying for continued US military engagement in Central Europe, including by highlighting the importance of the Ukraine aid hub in Jasionka near Rzeszow in southeastern Poland. This week in Brussels, the politician is scheduled to meet with EU commissioners and European parliamentarians.
Commenting at a press conference on Wednesday on the tariffs imposed on the EU by the Donald Trump administration, and Brussels' retaliatory import duties, Kowal said that a trade war is a serious issue that in the past has led to major international tensions, for example, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when it was one of the factors leading to the First World War.
"It was similar before the Second World War," he added.
"Tariff barriers lead to social unrest, they devastate markets, and they can have far more serious consequences than just economic ones. The worst wars began with customs disputes," Kowal argued.
He also spoke about his visit to the US, where, as he reported, American politicians spoke very positively about Poland.
"Poland is treated as a strategic partner. Everyone knows how much Poland spends on defence, how much Poland invests in security," he said. At the same time, he quoted a certain sense of uncertainty about the future of international relations and the continued presence of US troops in Europe.
The second conclusion from the meetings in the US, he said, is a clear understanding that the idea of a "quick peace" with Putin has failed.
"Everyone now knows that you cannot reach an agreement with Putin on those terms, and a new solution will have to be found," he said.
Kowal highlighted the need for strong cooperation within NATO. He argued that Europe must take concrete steps in defence, such as increasing the production of ammunition and developing new types of weapons and advanced technologies. For Poland, he said, it is crucial that transatlantic relations are discussed within the NATO framework.
He also said that the US is likely to "partially withdraw" from Europe in terms of troop numbers.
"The point is to ensure they don’t withdraw completely... It’s also clear to me that the issue of security in the Atlantic will be revisited... After all, NATO was originally established to protect the Atlantic," he said. (PAP)
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