Luxembourg, 04/01/2002 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat estimates released on 21 December, the Euro area recorded a trade surplus with the rest of the world of EUR 7.6 billion in October 2001. The surplus recorded in October 2000 was EUR 1.9 billion and in September 2001 EUR 4.4 billion. The first estimates for October 2001 extra-EU15 was a EUR 0.7 billion surplus compared to the deficit of EUR 7.1 for October 2000 and a deficit of EUR 3.1 billion in September 2001.
During the first three-quarters of 2001, the energy deficit continued to increase (EUR -89.7 billion in January-September 2001, while the surplus for machinery and vehicles nearly doubled (EUR +58.1 billion compared to EUR +32.0 billion). EU15 trade flows with all its major partners grew, except for imports from Japan, which fell by 8%, Switzerland, which remained stable and exports to Turkey, which fell by 29%. The most notable increases were exports to Russia, +43%, China, +25% and the Czech Republic, +18% and in imports from the Czech Republic, +19%, Turkey, +17%, Poland, +16% and Hungary, +15%. EU15 trade with the USA was characterised by an increase of +29.5 billion in January-September 2001, while trade with Japan showed a decrease in the EU deficit of -24.8 billion, compared to -30.8 billion. The highest EU15 trade deficit in the first nine months of 2001 was with China -33.6 billion and the largest surplus with the USA. As for the total trade of Member States, the largest surplus was recorded in Germany, with +63.0 billion, followed by Ireland, +27.2 billion. The United Kingdom registered the largest deficit -51.7 billion, followed by Spain with -29.9 billion.