Brussels (ST): The official estimates of the European Statistics Office Eurostat today showed that the eurozone recorded the largest trade deficit during the month of August, amid a rise in the import bill and a rise in energy prices.
According to Eurostat data, the euro zone’s merchandise trade balance fell by 51 billion euros, the highest recorded deficit since Lithuania joined the region in 2015, and eurozone exports of goods rose 24 percent on an annual basis to 231.1 billion euros.
While imports rose 53.6 percent on an annual basis to 282.1 billion euros, and the deficit rose sharply since last July, reaching 34 billion euros, to record a decline for the tenth consecutive month in a major shift for the trade bloc that used to record a large trade surplus.
K.Q.