EU April trade surplus down from March, driven by chems sector decline

LONDON (ICIS)–The EU’s trade surplus fell in April from the previous month, driven down by a sharp decline in the chemicals sector.

The EU’s April trade balance fell to €7.4 billion, down from €35.5 billion in March, official data showed on Friday.

“This drop was primarily driven by the contraction of the chemicals sector surplus, which fell from €41.6 billion to €20.4 billion – a reduction of over 50%,” statistics agency Eurostat said in a statement.

Source: Eurostat

In the eurozone, the trade surplus fell in April to €9.9 billion, down from €37.3 billion in March. Chemicals almost halved to €22.1 billion from €42.8 billion.

On a year-on-year basis, the April trade surplus was lower in both blocs but by a lesser magnitude, attributed to declines in the machineries and vehicles sector.

The EU chemicals trade balance was slightly higher in April, increasing to €20.4 billion from €19.5 billion in the same month of 2024.

Source: Eurostat

Prices for Europe chemicals fell in April on weak demand and uncertainty over US trade tariffs.