The euro area recorded a trade surplus of €9.9 billion in April 2025, down from a surplus of €13.6 billion in the corresponding month a year earlier.
Exports from the euro area to the rest of the world stood at €243 billion in April 2025, a decrease of 1.4% compared to April 2024 (€246.5 billion), while imports from the rest of the world were slightly up (+0.1%), to €233.1 billion.
Machineries & Vehicles
The decline in euro area trade surplus can largely be attributed to a lower surplus in the Machineries & Vehicles sector, which dropped from €16.8 billion to €12.8 billion.
In the energy sector, meanwhile, there was a slight improvement in the deficit, of €0.5 billion, compared to the corresponding month a year ago.
For the period from January to April 2025, the euro area recorded a surplus of €71 billion, compared with €68.6 billion in the same period a year ago.
Euro area export of goods rose 5.5% in the four month period, while imports rose by 5.6%. Intra-euro area trade was 0.8% higher, at €878.9 billion.
EU trade surplus
At a broader European level, the EU reported a €7.4 billion surplus in trade with the rest of the world in April 2025, down from €12.8 billion in April 2024.
Extra-EU exports of goods stood at €218.2 billion, down by 1.9% compared to the same period a year ago. Imports from the rest of the world were up 0.5% to €210.7 billion.
The Chemicals sector was the biggest contributor to the decline in trade surplus, seeing a drop of more than 50%, from €41.6 billion to €20.4 billion. The Machineries & Vehicles sector also saw a decline, dropping from €21.0 billion in April 2024 to €15.2 billion in April 2025.
Exports from the EU to the United States increased while those to China dropped sharply. Read more here.
