Ireland recorded the second largest first-quarter trade surplus in the EU, according to the latest data from Eurostat.
Germany led the way with the value of its exports exceeding imports by €36.8 billion. The Netherlands was third with €11.6 billion, with Ireland sandwiched in-between on €12.7 billion.
Ireland’s surplus was €4.4 billion higher than the same period in 2008, though it was attributed more to a drop in the cost of imports than on a major increase in exports.
The Eurostat data also showed that Ireland had retained second place in the table for the month of May, but that the surplus itself was down from €1.4 billion to €1.1 billion on the same month last year.
