EU's trade deficit at $4.5B in 1st half

By Gokhan Ergocun

ISTANBUL (AA) - The EU has posted a foreign trade deficit of €4.2 billion ($4.5 billion) during the first half of 2023, easing from €201.3 billion in the same period last year.

Eurostat's data showed on Thursday that the EU's exports totaled €1.286 trillion in the Jan-June period, while imports amounted to €1.29 trillion.

In the first half of the year, the eurozone's exports and imports stood at €1.43 trillion and €1.42 trillion, respectively.

The US was the main trade partner of the EU in the first half, followed by China, the UK, Switzerland and Türkiye.

Türkiye's exports to the EU grew by 21% to €57 billion, while imports from the union totaled €48.4 billion, down 1.8%.