The euro area recorded a €14.20 billion surplus in goods trade with the rest of the world in July 2026, up from €10.70 billion a year earlier, according to first estimates released by Eurostat.
Exports of goods from the euro area to countries outside the bloc reached €276.00 billion in July, rising 9.0 per cent from €253.30 billion in July 2025.
Imports increased at a slower pace, reaching €261.80 billion, up 7.9 per cent from €242.60 billion a year earlier.
The July surplus was also significantly higher than the €7.20 billion recorded in June 2026.
Compared with July 2025, the surplus increased by €3.50 billion, with the improvement mainly driven by higher surpluses in chemicals and related products, other manufactured goods, and food and drink.
This was partly offset by a smaller surplus in machinery and vehicles.
Despite the stronger monthly performance, the euro area recorded a much smaller cumulative trade surplus during the first seven months of 2026.
From January to July, the euro area registered a €17.00 billion surplus, compared with €92.80 billion during the same period of 2025.
Extra-euro area exports rose 1.2 per cent year-on-year to €1.76 trillion during the January-to-July period.
Imports, however, increased more rapidly, rising 5.8 per cent to €1.75 trillion.
Trade between euro area countries also increased, with intra-euro area trade reaching €1.65 trillion, representing a 5.0 per cent increase compared with the first seven months of 2025.
At EU level, the bloc recorded a €8.00 billion surplus in goods trade with countries outside the EU in July 2026, down from €9.80 billion in July 2025.
The July figure nevertheless represented a substantial improvement from the €2.40 billion surplus recorded in June.
Extra-EU exports reached €247.10 billion in July, increasing 7.8 per cent compared with €229.20 billion a year earlier.
Imports from outside the EU rose by 9.0 per cent to €239.10 billion, compared with €219.50 billion in July 2025.
The year-on-year deterioration in the EU’s trade balance was mainly attributed to a lower surplus in machinery and vehicles.
Higher surpluses in chemicals and related products and food and drink partly offset the decline, while the bloc also benefited from a reduced deficit in other manufactured goods.
For the first seven months of 2026, however, the EU moved into a trade deficit.
The bloc recorded a €13.80 billion deficit between January and July, compared with a surplus of €84.00 billion during the corresponding period of 2025.
Extra-EU exports fell 0.6 per cent year-on-year to €1.57 trillion during the first seven months of 2026.
Imports from outside the EU rose 5.9 per cent to €1.58 trillion over the same period.
The stronger increase in imports compared with exports therefore resulted in the EU’s shift from a substantial trade surplus in the first seven months of 2025 to a deficit in the corresponding period of 2026.
Intra-EU trade, meanwhile, continued to expand, reaching €2.58 trillion in January to July 2026, up 6.1 per cent compared with the same period of 2025.
The figures show that while both the euro area and the wider EU recorded monthly trade surpluses in July, imports have grown faster than exports over the first seven months of the year, putting pressure on their cumulative trade balances.
