The eurozone's trade surplus increased to 2.4 billion euros (US$3.15 billion) in October from 2.1 billion euros the previous month, official data showed Dec.18.
In October 2005 the trade surplus stood at just 100 million euros.
However seasonally adjusted figures, also from the EU's Eurostat data agency, alter the picture for October 2006, with exports level and imports up by 0.6%. Overall the seasonally-adjusted trade surplus stood at 1.7 billion euros.
For the EU as a whole, external trade remained in the red, with a deficit of 13.2 billion euros in October, the same as for September. The October 2005 EU-25 trade deficit figure was 11 billion euros.
Over the first nine months of the year, the EU energy deficit rose strongly to 214.2 billion euros (against 159.9 for Jan-Sept 2005) while surpluses rose in the chemicals sector (58.2 billion euros compared to 52.4 billion) and for machinery and vehicles (81.6 billion against 77.2 billion).
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2006
