The United States' tariff policies are set to shock Poland's automobile industry, one of the pillars of the country's economy, according to a Polish expert, who warned the measures will also impact auto production in the U.S. and drive up prices for American consumers.
Wojciech Drzewiecki, President of Poland's IBRM Samar, a data analysis firm specialized in the auto sector, give his assessment of the impact of the tariffs introduced by the Trump administration during an interview with the China Media Group (CMG) on Wednesday.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week imposing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" on all imports, which came one day before his 25-percent tariff on automotive imports took effect on April 3.
Drzewiecki said that as Poland exports a great amount of vehicles to the U.S. market along with other European trading partners, the sweeping tariffs are set to hit Polish auto sector badly.
"It's very important for Polish manufacturers because we provide a lot of components to our partners in Germany, the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic and they are providing cars directly or exporting cars directly to U.S. market. So, if there will be any collapse of the [export] market, that will for sure influence our manufacturers and our exports will collapse, too," he said. With Poland's auto industry accounting for eight percent of the country's total GDP, according to government estimates, there is concern over the impact of the tariffs.
Drzewiecki explained that since the U.S. only produces about half of the auto parts it needs, the tariffs will impose higher costs on both American auto manufacturers and consumers.
"Only 40 or up to 50 percent of spare parts or components was produced in the U.S., the rest is coming from other countries, also from Europe. So, if there will be influence on the market, we will be also influenced on the local production and the prices for the customers," he said.
While Drzewiecki believes the true intention behind the U.S. tariffs is to address the country's huge trade deficit, he said the effort is not likely to help realize this goal because of the lack of competitiveness of U.S. products on the global market.
"Tariffs are always bad, so, that's not the best solution. If you want to sell more to other countries, you have to be competitive. And the problem with American products was that the product was not competitive, therefore other customers in other countries did not buy those products," he said.
US tariffs set to backfire despite shocks to Poland's auto sector: industry insider
The United Arab Emirates' (UAE) exit from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the broader OPEC+ is unlikely to jolt oil markets in the short term, but sets the stage for lower prices once the Iran conflict ends and Gulf exports resume, experts said.
Effective Friday, the UAE formally withdrew from OPEC in a move poised to reshape global oil markets. The decision came amid heightened geopolitical tensions driven by the ongoing Iran conflict.
The UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said the timing was chosen to cause the least market disruption. But analysts say the exit reflects the UAE's long-simmering frustrations over production quotas that no longer align with its capacity.
"It gives the UAE flexibility to move from a quota within OPEC of 3.3 million barrels a day to 5 million barrels a day in 2027. It won't radically change the pricing. It will make more energy available. So, it will take some of the price pressures off," said John Defterios, senior advisor for APCO Worldwide, a global advisory firm, and also senior fellow at the Center for Energy and Materials of the World Economic Forum.
While immediate market impact remains muted amid wartime volatility, experts anticipate meaningful shifts once regional stability returns.
"It has no impact right now, because obviously oil prices right now depend on the state of the war and whether exports can start freely through the Gulf and so on. But assume, once the war is over and a normal transit resumes, I would expect the UAE will move quickly to increase production and try to refill some of that storage that was drained. And that should mean, in general, lower prices for oil importers, for oil consumers. In the longer term, yes, I think also probably it means lower prices," said Robin Mills, CEO of Qamar Energy, a Dubai-based independent consultancy company.
The UAE's departure highlights structural tensions within OPEC+. As a low-cost producer with billions invested in upstream expansion, Abu Dhabi increasingly chafed against collective quotas.
However, other members, including Iraq and Kazakhstan, also sought higher production allowances.
"This pressure has been building up for some time. But Saudi Arabia was also in a difficult position. If it agreed to grant higher production levels to the UAE, then it would have to grant them to Iraq as well. Kazakhstan wanted more [allowance as well]. Everybody wants special treatment," said Mills.
Strategically, the move aligns with the UAE's broader vision to diversify its economy.
"They made this announcement ahead of a very important forum, Make It In the Emirates, which displays what the UAE is doing in terms of diversification outside of oil and gas. So, they want that revenue from oil and gas -- the extra 50 billion dollars a year to go into greater diversification. It's advanced manufacturing, it's artificial intelligence, it's the next wave of financial services, and it is trade," said Defterios.
The exit also signals a broader recalibration of legacy energy institutions in a world confronting new climate imperatives, geopolitical fragmentation, and energy transition pressures.
"I do think it shows definitely a world in which there's a new energy reality, there's a new climate reality, there's a new geopolitical reality. And these legacy institutions have to adapt. And if they don't, then of course, their members will either leave or at least won't take them seriously," said Mills.
UAE's OPEC exit long expected, may ease oil prices after Iran war ends: experts
