The European Union continued to record a trade surplus in the second quarter of 2024, after being in deficit at the start of 2023. However, at €30,815 billion, this surplus is down compared to the first quarter of the year (€40,478 billion).
The energy and machinery sectors saw exports fall between the first and second quarters, while European chemical products continued to sell well abroad (+3.2%).
The main trading partners remain the same: China is the leading country of origin for EU imports, and the United States is the leading destination for European exports.
The volume of energy imported from Russia has continued to fall in recent months. Since the second quarter of 2022, these imports have decreased by €39 billion.
See Eurostat data: https://aeur.eu/f/d85 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)