The euro zone trade surplus shrank significantly in July from June, with exports and imports rising.
The trade balance of the 13 countries using the euro showed a surplus with the rest of the world of €4.6 billion in July, according to data released by Eurostat data agency.
That was sharply down from June when the surplus stood at €7.6 billion.
However, the results were much better than the July 2006 surplus of €1.1 billion.
The trade surplus for July was much lower than was predicted by some analysts, thanks in part to the strength of the euro which hit an all-time high last Thursday of $1.3927.
Exports rose to €129.7 billion in July from €128.8 billion in June, while imports climbed to €125.1 billion from €121.2 billion.
When the seasonally adjusted figures are taken, a trade deficit appears, with euro zone exports down 0.5% to €125 billion in July from a month earlier, while imports were up 3.6% to €125.7 billion for the same period.
