Ministers came to the decision on June 10 in response to US restrictions on the import of EU steel. Top fruit and fruit juices face 100 per cent tariffs and citrus could be subject to 15 per cent tariffs under the EU proposals drawn up by the European Commission and adopted by the council of foreign ministers.

The Florida Department of Citrus has been lobbying authorities in Washington to get its views heard. 'We have a lobbyist who works very closely with Washington DC and has been impressing on them the amount of citrus we export to the EU,' said Mike Yetter of the international department of the FDOC. 'Other that that, there is not a lot we can do at the moment. It is an area of concern and we are optimistic that it will be resolved.' Meanwhile, the World Trade Organisation's dispute settlement body accepted the European Commission's proposal last week to establish a panel to judge the legality of the US steel safeguards. Similar moves are afoot on behalf of Japan, Korea, China, Switzerland, Brazil, New Zealand and Norway. 'This is an important step forward in our response to the unjustified, highly protectionist US measures,' said EU trade commissioner Pascal Lamy. 'SI am in no doubt that the US will lose this case as it has lost all six previous safeguard cases.'

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