US rules against Europe on carbon-steel exports

Six European Community nations unfairly subsidized carbon-steel exports to the United States, the Commerce Department said in a final ruling on trade complaints filed by American steel companies.

But the department also ruled that steel produced in the Netherlands and South Africa did not receive unfair government aid, and it reduced earlier estimates of subsidies by the other nations as listed in a June 10 preliminary finding. Wednesday's ruling was the first step toward possible establishment of US penalty duties against carbon steel produced in some Western European nations.