Poland warned on Monday against rising protectionism in Europe after a decisive victory for French President Emmanuel Macron’s party in the first round of parliamentary elections.
Macron has called for a “protection agenda” for the European Union that includes a “Buy European Act” and regulations to prevent strategic companies from falling into non-European hands.
Konrad Szymanski, Poland’s deputy foreign minister in charge of European affairs, told reporters in Berlin that other EU governments might adopt a more protectionist stance to support Macron.
“The future development of the EU’s single market is causing the biggest concerns for us,” Szymanski said in reference to Macron’s agenda.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said last month she was open to Macron’s proposal to create a level playing field between EU countries and other international trade partners.
Szymanski pointed out that the completion of the internal market for services and for the digital economy was still a work in progress that had to be completed urgently.
“We do not want to pay for the Macron victory,” Szymanski said, referring to a debate in EU countries that governments should fight back against rising populism by making concessions on the openness of markets.
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