Brussels, 23/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - According to the latest Eurostat information, published on Wednesday 23 January, the EU external current account recorded a deficit of €17.2 billion in the third quarter of 2007, compared with a deficit of €24.6 billion in the third quarter of 2006 and a deficit of €16.3 billion in the second quarter of 2007. In the third quarter of 2007, compared with the third quarter of 2006, a lower deficit was recorded in the goods account (€41.5 billion compared with €44.5 billion), while the surplus of the services account increased (€23.2 billion compared with €16.7 billion). The surplus of the income account declined (€14.8 billion compared with €16.5 billion), while the deficit of the current transfers account remained nearly stable (€13.8 billion compared with €13.3 billion).
In the third quarter of 2007, the EU27 external current account recorded a surplus with the USA (€26.0 billion), Hong Kong (€3.0 billion) and Canada (€2.1 billion), and a deficit with China (€38.0 billion), Russia (€6.9 billion) and Japan (€6.7 billion). (L.C.)