Luxembourg, 21/02/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to data communicated by Eurostat on Monday, external trade in the euro zone registered a surplus of 12.6 billion euro last year, whereas the total trade balance in the Europe of Fifteen (EU15) saw a deficit of 82 billion euro, mainly due to the rise in the price of oil. In 1999, the external trade surplus in the euro zone was 51.2 billion euro and the deficit in the balance of the EU15 amounted to 19 billion. Despite the fall in the trade balance recorded last year, growth in trade was stronger than in 1999, with extra-EU15 and extra-euro zone trade up 20 to 30% and intra-EU trade up 15%. EU trade with its main partners particularly increased. The highest rises concern exports to the Czech Republic (+30%), Russia (+34%) and Turkey (+48%), as well as imports from Poland (+33%), China (+41%) Norway (+55%), and Russia (+77%). All Member States recorded a growth in trade: Germany saw the highest surplus (+52.3 bn euro), followed by Ireland (+27.5 bn), whereas the United Kingdom recorded the highest deficit (-57.7 bn), followed by Spain (-35.5 bn).