Brussels: The eurozone recorded a pound 1.0 billion deficit in goods trade with the rest of the world in April 2026, swinging from a surplus of pound 8.7 billion in the same month last year, according to data released by Eurostat.
According to Oman News Agency, exports rose 5.0 percent year-on-year to pound 255.4 billion, while imports surged 9.3 percent to pound 256.4 billion, tipping the balance into deficit. The deterioration was driven largely by a widening energy shortfall and a reduced surplus in machinery and vehicles.
The April figure marked a sharp decline from March's pound 4.9 billion surplus, with the year-on-year swing amounting to roughly pound 9.7 billion. Over the first four months of the year, eurozone exports fell 3.6 percent to pound 970.1 billion, while imports rose 1.5 percent to pound 957.2 billion. Intra-eurozone trade expanded 3.1 percent to pound 924.9 billion.
Across the broader European Union, the bloc recorded a pound 7.1 billion trade deficit in April 2026, compared with a pound 7.3 billion surplus in April 2025. EU exports rose 3.2 percent to pound 225.7 billion, while imports jumped 10.1 percent to pound 232.8 billion - a year-on-year deterioration of pound 14.4 billion, again driven by higher energy costs and weaker machinery and vehicle surpluses.
From January to April, EU exports fell 5.8 percent to pound 857.7 billion, while imports edged up 0.8 percent to pound 859.9 billion. Intra-EU trade rose 4.2 percent to pound 1,445.4 billion.