EU/LATIN AMERICA : EU TRADE IN GOODS WITH CELAC IN BALANCE.

• Position: Community of Latin American and Caribbean States - Statistical data

EU27 international trade in goods with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)(1) has been characterised in recent years by steady growth between 2003 and 2008, a sharp decline in 2009 and a strong recovery since then.

EU27 trade with CELAC was in balance in the first nine months of 2012. These data were released by Eurostat on the occasion of the 26 January EU-CELAC summit in Santiago de Chile. The first nine months of 2012 showed continued growth in EU27 trade with CELAC, with exports growing faster than imports. Exports rose by 16%, from 75 bn in the first nine months of 2011 to 87 bn in the same period of 2012, while imports increased by 2%, from 85 bn to 87 bn. In the first nine months of 2012, CELAC accounted for just under 7% of EU27 exports and imports.

Among the EU27 member states, Germany (24.4 bn or 28% of the total) was by far the largest exporter to CELAC in the first nine months of 2012, followed by Italy (10.6 bn or 12%), Spain (10.4 bn or 12%) and France (9.7 bn or 11%). The Netherlands (17 bn or 20%) was the largest importer, followed by Spain (15.5 bn or 18%), Germany (13.5 bn or 16%), the UK (9.9 bn or 11%) and Italy (7.7 bn or 9%).

Among the members of the CELAC, Brazil (29.6 bn, or 34% of the total) was the leading destination for EU27 exports in the first nine months of 2012, followed by Mexico (20.7 bn or 24%)...