Euro area trade surplus falls to €15B in April

By Tuba Ongun

ANKARA (AA) – The eurozone trade surplus fell to €15 billion in April, down from €23.7 billion the prior month, according to official data released on Friday.

Euro area exports of goods to the rest of the world returned to growth, surging 14% year-on-year to €247.6 billion this April.

Its imports also rose 1.8% at an annualized pace to €232.5 billion in April, also shifting from a decline in March.

The EU27 ran a trade surplus of €13.9 billion in April, down from a €21.7 billion surplus in March.

The US continued to be the top recipient of EU exports with €45.9 billion, surging 21.9% from last year.

On the other side, China was the main source of imports, with €40.3 billion, falling 4.2% from a year earlier.

The eurozone/euro area, or EA19, represents member states that use the bloc's single currency, the euro, while the EU27 includes all of its member countries.