31/03/23 (Agence Europe) – Rising energy prices continued to weigh on the EU’s trade performance: the €432 billion trade deficit in goods in 2022 is the highest recorded since 2002, according to the latest Eurostat figures. Imports of goods into the EU increased by 41.3% in 2022 compared to 2021, while exports increased by only 17.9%. Energy is the sector where trade has increased the most in both directions, particularly for imports (+113.6%). Chemicals and machinery and vehicles were the best performers with a trade surplus of €190 billion and €126 billion respectively for 2022. The largest trade surplus for goods was recorded by Germany (€127.6 billion) and the worst trade deficit by the Netherlands (€251.7 billion). See statistics: https://aeur.eu/f/65n (LM)