EU proposes cutting steel imports by 15 per cent as Trump tariffs bite

BRUSSELS, March 19 (Reuters): The European Union will tighten steel import quotas to reduce inflows by a further 15 per cent from April, a senior EU official said on Wednesday, in a move aimed at preventing cheap steel flooding the European market after Washington imposed new tariffs.

European steel producers already battling high energy prices and competition from Asia and elsewhere warn that the EU risks becoming a dumping ground for cheap steel diverted from the US market, which could kill off Europe's plants.

"During a period when nobody is respecting WTO (World Trade Organization) rules and everyone refers to national security... the EU can't be the only continent that lets its industry fall apart," European Commission Executive Vice-President Stephane Sejourne told Reuters.