The euro area trade surplus dropped slightly in December as the increase in imports exceeded the exports growth, data from Eurostat showed on Monday.
The trade surplus decreased to EUR 15.5 billion in December from EUR 16.0 billion in November.
Exports logged an increase of 3.1 percent from last year, in contrast to the 1.4 percent fall in November. At the same time, imports climbed 3.8 percent, reversing a 0.7 percent drop.
The product-wise data showed that the surplus on trade in chemical and related products declined the most, down to EUR 20.6 billion from EUR 23.0 billion a month ago. Meanwhile, machineries and vehicles trade saw the largest increase, rising to EUR 16.7 billion from EUR 13.0 billion.
Compared to the previous month, exports and imports decreased 0.2 percent and 0.8 percent, respectively. As a result, the trade surplus increased to EUR 14.6 billion from EUR 13.3 billion in November.
In 2024, the euro area registered a surplus of EUR 176.9 billion, compared with EUR 57.4 billion in 2023.
Exports of goods increased of 0.6 percent, while imports fell 3.7 percent compared with 2023.
In December, the EU balance showed a EUR 16.3 billion surplus in trade in goods, compared with EUR 16.1 billion last year. In 2024 as a whole, the EU recorded a surplus of EUR 150.1 billion, much bigger than a EUR 34.4 billion surplus seen in 2023.