Pressemitteilung: EU trade in goods surplus halved in Q1 2026 / In the first quarter of 2026, the EU recorded a trade surplus, with goods exported to non-EU countries exceeding imports by €12.7 billion. Although, this surplus was almost halved from €23.6 billion in the last quarter of 2025, the EU maintained a positive trade balance, established in the third quarter of 2023, following a period of deficits fuelled by soaring energy costs from late 2021 to mid-2023. The decline in the trade balance compared to the previous quarter was primarily due to a reduction in the surplus for machinery and vehicles (from €39.8 billion in Q4 2025 to €27.8 billion in Q1 2026) and an increase in the deficit on energy products (from -€64.0 billion in Q4 2025 to -€72.2 billion in Q1 2026). This decrease was partially offset by a narrowing of the deficit for other manufactured goods (from -€10.9 billion in Q4 2025 to -€5.0 billion in Q1 2026) and a rise in the surplus for other goods (from €7.2 billion in Q4 2025 to €11.5 billion in Q1 2026). (....)