Brussels, 19/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - The euro zone registered a trade surplus of 8.5 billion EUR in September, after 7.5 billion the previous month, according to data published on Wednesday by Eurostat. Exports fell 0.9% in September compared to August, and imports by 2.4%. In the whole of the EU (EU-15), trade with third countries saw an estimated 500 million EUR deficit, following a surplus of 1.8 billion EUR in August.
Germany recorded the highest trade surplus with the rest of the world in the first eight months of the year with 83.7 billion EUR, followed by Ireland (22 billion). The United Kingdom saw the greatest deficit (46.5 billion EUR), followed by Spain (26.5 billion). France had a deficit of 3.5 billion, and Italy's trade deficit was 200 million.
Over the first eight months of the year (January-August), the EU managed to increase its surplus with the United States, its main trade partner (43.4 billion EUR in the first eight months of the year, as against 41.8 billion EUR in the same period in 2002). However, the EU's trade deficit with China increased (deficit of 32.9 billion EUR, compared to 29.7 billion), as did its deficit with Japan (which grew from 17.2 to 18.3 billion EUR).