Brussels, 05/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission approved its proposal of regulation identifying the American export products that could be hit by prohibitive surtaxes, should talks aimed at defusing the steel dispute with the United States fail. The draft regulation, which has still to pass the Council of Ministers' test before 18 June, confirms the two indicative lists that were submitted to Geneva mid-May. The text will no doubt be formally - rather than tacitly - approved by the Fifteen enacting by qualified majority, given the lack of enthusiasm on the part of some of them to sanction the practical closure of the American market, by imposing counter-measures without waiting for the judgement of the WTO on the legality of the widely challenged safeguard provision. "It is a very tricky matter. Ministers will no doubt have their word to say" (from 10 to 17 June), it was said in Brussels on Tuesday, despite the unanimous support that the Commission has obtained from the Fifteen for its stalling tactics, consisting in keeping pressure on Washington by setting in place the retaliatory provision within ten days but without necessarily activating it immediately. "It is only with a revolver that we can obtain the effect of maximum leverage", the same source says.