Europe should temporarily suspend its tariffs on imported steel to head off shortages and avoid harmful effects on industry, Italian Industry Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said on Friday. Asked if Rome planned to intervene in the 25% tariff scheme, Giorgetti said that Europe had prioritised the interests of the steelmakers during the health pandemic without realising this could have serious knock-on effects on supply. Earlier this year the European Union opted to continue a system of quotas and tariffs that has been in place since 2018 for a further three years to protect EU steelmakers from a potential surge of imports.