DUESSELDORF – German steelmakers joined their counterparts around Europe on Friday in welcoming the Bush administration decision to rescind tariffs on US steel imports.

Dieter Ameling, president of the German steel producers federation in Duesseldorf, said he expected a normalisation of steel exports to the United States in the wake of the decision by Washington.

He noted that the tariffs had had a severe impact on German steel companies, with exports this year now down to around 1 million tons, compared with 1.6 million tons in 2001 before Washington slapped tariffs on imports in a move to protect American steel firms.