EU-US trade exchanges fall

The USA remained the EU's largest trading partner for both goods and services in 2013.However, there has been a steady decline in the share of the USA in total EU international trade in goods over the last decade, Eurostat, the EU's statistical office reported today.While in 2002, the USA accounted for 28 percent of total EU exports and 20% of imports, by 2013 these shares had fallen to 17 percent and 12 percent respectively.After a significant decrease in 2009, the value of EU trade in goods with the USA recovered in the following years to reach a peak value for exports of 293 billion euro in 2012, which then fell to 288 bn in 2013.Imports also recovered to a peak value of 206 bn in 2012, and then fell to 196 bn in 2013.Among the EU Member States, Germany (89 bn euro) remained in 2013 by far the largest exporter to the USA, followed by the United Kingdom (44 bn), France and Italy (both 27 bn), Ireland and Belgium (both 18 bn) and the Netherlands (17 bn).Germany (37 bn) remained also the largest importer in 2013, followed by the United Kingdom (35 bn), the Netherlands (29 bn) France (27 bn and Belgium (24 bn).These figures were released on the occasion of the European Union-USA summit, which will take place in Brussels on Wednesday.