WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) on Tuesday welcomed the Biden administration’s commitment to address the problem of global excess steel capacity, but warned that securing meaningful change would take time.

The group’s president, Kevin Dempsey, said it was essential that Washington maintain “strong and effective trade measures to prevent surges in steel imports from around the world that could quickly undermine the U.S. industry and our national security.”

The comments came after a U.S.-EU summit at which the two sides agreed to suspend tariffs in a pair of cases involving aircraft subsidies, a move they said would pave the way for greater cooperation in other areas, including steel and aluminum. The EU is pushing Washington to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports by Dec. 1.