The European Union’s decision to boost steel tariffs by as much as 26% from April 3 may force Bulgaria’s Stomana Industry company to direct part of its produce to Canada, Lyudmil Stoikov, CEO of Evrometal, said, quoted by Dnevnik Daily. Evrometal is one of the owners of Pernik-based Stomana steel works, which exports about 70% of its produce to the EU. According to analysts and regional producers the decision ot boost tariffs will hit Eastern Europeans the hardest. The measures are meant to shield Europe from a flood of cheap steel from countries hit by US tariffs of up to 30%. EU import taxes will apply to most of the same steel products hit by protectionist measures announced last week by US. The new tariffs will affect exports in the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Turkey. The EU is to impose tariffs affecting 5,7 M tones of steel imports for a provisional six-month period.