Brussels, 16/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - Between 2000 and 2006, the export of goods from the EU27 to Russia more than tripled in value, growing from €22.7 billion to €72.4 billion, whilst imports from Russia more than doubled, from €63.8 billion to €140.6 billion. According to the figures of Eurostat, published a few days before the summit in Samara (see p. 4), the external trade deficit of the EU 27 with Russia has thus increased enormously, from €41 billion in 2000 to €68.2 billion in 2006. This is due mainly to the increase in the deficit in the field of energy, which was only partially balanced out by the increase in the surplus for machines and vehicles. In 2006, Russia accounted for just over 6% of EU exports and 10% of its imports. This made it the EU's third-largest trade partner, after the United States and China. The main European exporters to Russia are Germany, Italy and Finland. The greatest deficits per member state were observed in the Netherlands (-€11.4 billion), Italy (-€6.0 billion), Germany and Poland (-€5.9 billion each) and Spain (-€5.7 billion). In retail, the principal exports from the EU to Russia were medicines, automotive vehicles, transmission and receiving devices for radio and telephony, computers and spare parts, and the main imports were oil, gas, coal, nickel, aluminium and copper. (ab)