The trade deficit for the 12-nation euro zone narrowed in January to €2.2 billion compared with €5.1 billion in December, Eurostat said today.
The seasonally-adjusted figures showed exports increased 0.2% in the month and imports 1.8%, the European statistics office said.
Among the annual figures available for 2004, the trade surplus between the EU and the US increased to €76.5 billion. Imports from the US remained stable in 2004 from the year before.
The EU members which saw the biggest increase in trade with the rest of the world last year were Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium.
