Brussels, 26/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - According to the latest revisions published by Eurostat, the EU27 external current account recorded a deficit of €32.0 billion in the first quarter of 2007, compared with a deficit of €36.2 billion in the first quarter of 2006 and a deficit of €18.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2006. In the first quarter of 2007, compared with the first quarter of 2006, a slightly lower deficit was recorded in the goods account (- €49.5 billion compared with - €50.6 billion), while the surplus of the services account increased (€15.2 billion compared with €11.2 billion). The surplus of the income account rose (€17.6 billion compared with €16.7 billion) as did the deficit of the current transfers account (- €15.3 billion compared with - €13.5 billion). The surplus recorded in the services account (€15.2 billion) is mainly the result of surpluses in financial services (€8.1 billion), “other business services” (€6.0 billion), computer and information services (€3.5 billion) and transport (€3.1 billion), partially offset by deficits in travel (- €5.9 billion) and royalties and license fees (- €2.7 billion). In the first quarter of 2007, the EU27 external current account recorded a surplus with the USA (€22.3 billion), Canada (€2.6 billion) and Hong Kong (€1.9 billion), and a deficit with China (- €37.7 billion), Russia (- €10.8 billion) and Japan (- €7.0 billion). (ab)