Eurozone and EU record trade deficits in May 2026

Brussels, July 17 / WAM / Preliminary data issued by the European Statistical Office “Eurostat” for the month of May 2026 showed a noticeable shift in the performance of foreign trade of the Eurozone and the European Union, after the trade budget of both moved from recording surpluses a year ago to recording a deficit in commodity exchanges with the rest of the world.

The euro zone recorded a trade deficit of 7.8 billion euros during May 2026, compared to a surplus of 15 billion euros during the same month of 2025.

The European Union also recorded a deficit of 12.1 billion euros, compared to a surplus of 12.7 billion euros a year ago.

The data showed that euro zone exports stabilized at 243.6 billion euros, a slight increase of 0.1%, while imports increased by 10% to reach 251.4 billion euros, which led to a decline in the trade balance by about 22.8 billion euros compared to May 2025.

This decline is mainly due to the widening of the energy trade deficit, in addition to the decline in surpluses achieved in the chemical, automotive and machinery sectors.

At the European Union level, exports to non-member countries decreased by 1.1% to reach 215.7 billion euros, while imports jumped by 10.8% to 227.8 billion euros, which led to a deterioration in the trade balance by about 24.8 billion euros compared to the same period last year, under the influence of higher energy costs and a decline in revenues from exports of machinery and chemical products.

During the period from January to May 2026, the euro zone’s surplus shrank to only 3.3 billion euros, compared to 78.7 billion euros during the same period in 2025. Exports declined by 2.8% to 1.214 trillion euros, while imports increased by 3.4% to 1.211 trillion euros, while intra-european trade rose by 3.3% to reach 1.157 trillion euros.

As for the European Union, during the first five months of the year, it recorded a cumulative deficit of 15.9 billion euros, compared to a surplus of 70.1 billion euros during the same period in 2025.

Exports outside the Union decreased by 4.8% to 1.074 trillion euros, while imports increased by 3% to 1.090 trillion euros, while intra-EU trade continued to grow by 4.3% to reach 1.807 trillion euros.

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