EC MINISTERS ANNOUNCE PLAN FOR STEEL CLOSURES European Community (EC) industry ministers agreed on a plan for voluntary steel plant closures, drawn up by industry lobby group Eurofer, and calculated to lead to the loss of about 22,000 jobs. The ministers resolved that the proposed closures, which should bring production capacity more in line with weak demand, "remain considerably below the surplus in capacity." They asked the EC Executive Commission to consult with Eurofer, major steel companies and with governments, to pinpoint scope for further capacity reductions beyond the annual 15.26 mln tonnes identified by Eurofer. The Commission will draw up a new system of steel production quotas to protect vulnerable EC firms from the full rigors of open competition. Commission sources said any new system would cover only heavy products representing about 45 pct of the market, instead of 65 pct under the present system. Ministers hope to approve a closure program when they meet again in Brussels on June 1, the sources said. Industry Commissioner Karl-Heinz Narjes told ministers capacity was 30 mln tonnes in excess of requirements and that this excess ought to be eliminated by the end of 1990.