ZCZC
BCN-30
BULGARIA-EU-TRADE-DEFICIT
Bulgaria’s trade deficit with non-EU countries almost doubles in H1
SOFIA, Aug. 11, 2018 (BSS/Xinhua) – Bulgaria’s trade deficit with countries
outside the European Union (EU) has almost doubled in the first half of 2018
year-on-year, the country’s National Statistical Institute (NSI) said Friday.
According to preliminary data of the NSI, Bulgaria’s foreign trade balance
with non-EU countries from January to June was negative and added up to 3.1
billion BGN (some 1.8 billion U.S. dollars) while in the same period of 2017
the deficit stood at 1.6 billion BGN.
In the first half of this year, the country’s exports to the non-EU
countries amounted to 7.5 billion BGN, 15 percent less than in the
corresponding period of 2017, the NSI said.
Main trade partners of Bulgaria were Turkey, China, Serbia, the United
States, Macedonia and Russia, which accounted for 53.3 percent of exports to
non-EU countries.
The largest growths were recorded in the sections like animals and
vegetable oils, fats and waxes (17.3 percent) and chemical and related
products (7.4 percent), while the most notable falls were reported in mineral
fuel, lubricants and related materials (49.6 percent) and beverages and
tobacco (40 percent).
Meanwhile, Bulgarian imports from the non-EU countries increased by 1.4
percent to 10.6 billion BGN, with the largest amounts reported for the goods
imported from Russia, Turkey, China and Serbia, the NSI said.
(1 U.S. dollar = 1.69 BGN)
BSS/XINHUA/HR/1210