Eurozone swings to trade surplus, but exports halve from last year

17th Apr 2026 12:00

(Sharecast News) - The eurozone's trade balance with the rest of the world swing to a surplus over the month of February due to a recovery in exports of machineries and vehicles, though total exports were significantly lower than they were the year before.

The single-currency region registered a trade surplus of €11.5bn in February, compared with a deficit of €1.0bn in January, according to Eurostat data.

This was more or less in line with the consensus forecast (€11.7bn) but well below €23.1bn surplus seen in February 2025.

The swing to a positive trade balance was driven primarily by trade in machinery and vehicles, which registered a surplus of €10.2bn in February, compared with just €1.5bn the month before.

However, the total value of goods exported out of bloc during the month was €232.4bn, down 6.7% on the €249.1bn exported in February 2025.

Imports from the rest of the world, meanwhile, fell 2.2% year-on-year to €220.9bn.