The value of the exported and imported goods in April 2002 was virtually identical to that of April 2001. According to the latest preliminary figures of Statistics Netherlands the exports are valued at over 19 billion euro and imports at almost 18 billion.
In the previous seven months both imports and exports were still decreasing, so this decrease came to a halt in April. One of the causes of this is the extra working day in April this year compared to April 2001. Price drops lowered the value of the international trade just like they did in previous months.
Exports to EU countries decreasing
The Netherlands exported almost 15 billion euro worth of goods to the other EU countries in April 2002. This is 3% less than in April last year. The biggest decreases were observed in the exports to Germany and the UK. The imports from the EU countries went up by 2% to a total of almost 10 billion euro.
Exports to non EU countries increasing
While the total exports to the EU countries fell, the exports to countries outside the EU increased by 9% on April 2001. The greatest increases were to the USA, Turkey and South Korea. The imports from non-EU countries fell by 2% compared to April 2001 and totalled nearly 8 billion euro.
(source: Statistics Netherlands
