Agrifood sector place in the European Union foreign trade

Abstract

According to EUROSTAT data (aggregated across all 27 states, regardless of when they joined), the European Union's foreign trade in the period 2000 to 2011 have a positive trend, the value of imports increasing by 70% and exports by 80.3%. In 2011, the values for foreign trade transactions amounted to 1687732 million in imports, respectively, 1531929 million exports, resulting thus a negative foreign trade balance. Agricultural sector contributed during that period with a share of over 5% to the trade outside the EU. The weights on total external transactions of food, drinks and tobacco transactions were 5.8% for exports and 5.4% for imports in 2011, the foreign trade balance for this category being negative. During that period (2000 - 2011), transactions with food, drinks and tobacco in the EU with other countries of the world have joined the general trend of development of foreign trade, growth being 86.3% for exports and respectively, 66.1% for imports. In the same time the share of food, drinks and tobacco grew in total EU exports, easing its total imports, while diminishing the negative balance of trade for this product group. In the total exports of food, drinks and tobacco, beverages have the largest share (about 24% in 2010), U.S.A. representing in this regard the most important market for the EU, while the vegetables and fruits have the highest rate in total imports (25.7%). Among EU countries that have the greatest contribution to the achievement of foreign trade with food, drinks and tobacco are: Germany, Netherlands, France and United Kingdom, the same countries achieving a significant share of total EU external trade transactions.