Luxembourg, 15/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to estimates published by Eurostat on Thursday, the European Union's external current account recorded a deficit of 16.7 billion (bn) euro in the first quarter of the year. The deficit of the fourth quarter 2000 was 17.7 bn. As for the external balance of trade in services, it recorded a deficit of 2.3 bn euro in the first quarter 2001, having seen a deficit of 3.2 bn in the fourth quarter of last year (1.4 bn in the first quarter 2000).