Preliminary figures indicate that the country's trade surplus fell in June, as exports fell and imports rose between May and June.
The Central Statistics Office said exports in June were down 5% from May to €7.27 billion, but imports rose 12% to just over €4 billion. This meant a 20% drop in the trade surplus to just over €3.2 billion.
Economists described the June figures as disappointing.
More detailed figures for the first five months of this year show that exports rose 2% from a year earlier to €35.9 billion, led by strong increases in exports of chemicals and pharmaceutical products.
Imports for the first five months were down 7% to €18.6 billion, with big falls in imports of computer equipment and transport equipment. Imports from China were down 27% from a year earlier.
