Brussels, 05/10/2009 (Agence Europe) - Between 2000 and 2008, the value of EU27 exports of goods to Brazil grew by 56%, while imports nearly doubled. This led to an increasing EU27 deficit in trade in goods with Brazil, up from €1.8 billion in 2000 to €9.5 bn in 2008. In the first half of 2009, the value of EU27 exports to Brazil fell to €9.3 bn compared with €12.0 bn in the first half of 2008, and imports decreased to €12.6 bn from €17.5 bn. As a result, the EU27 trade deficit with Brazil fell, reaching €3.3 bn in the first half of 2009, compared with €5.5 bn in the same period of 2008. The fall in the value of EU27 trade with Brazil recorded between the first half of 2008 and the first half of 2009 is in line with the general downward trend in the EU27's total external trade over the same period.
Brazil's share in the EU27's total external trade in goods remained around 2% between 2000 and 2008. In the first half of 2009, the share of Brazil in the EU27's total trade was 1.8% for exports and 2.1% for imports. Brazil was the EU27's tenth biggest trading partner. Among the EU27 Member States, Germany (€3.1 bn euro or 33% of EU exports of goods) was by far the largest exporter to Brazil in the first half of 2009, followed by France and Italy (€1.2 bn or 13% each) and the United Kingdom (€0.7 bn or 8%). The Netherlands (€2.7 bn or 21% of EU imports) was the largest importer, followed by Germany (€2.5 bn or 20%), the United Kingdom and Italy (€1.3 bn or 10% each), France (€1.2 bn or 10%), and Spain (€1.1 bn or 9%). (A.B. trans fl)