Goods trade with ASEAN countries rebounds from 2009 to 2010; EU trade deficit rises by nearly 30%

The EU has recorded deficits in trade in goods with the ten ASEAN countries since 2000. In 2010, the deficit was €26 billion, a substantial rise compared with the previous year. The main products imported from the ASEAN countries include electronic equipment, such as computers and consumer items, clothing and footwear, pharmaceuticals, crude rubber, palm oil and furniture. The EU mainly exported machinery and transport equipment, including aircraft, alongside pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to ASEAN countries. As regards trade in services, the EU was in surplus from 2005 to 2009, recording €2 billion in 2009. Of the major ASEAN partner countries, the only one with which the EU recorded a deficit that year was Thailand. In 2009, EU foreign direct investment (FDI) outflows declined sharply, while inflows changed little. FDI stocks grew in 2009. Singapore is the main investment partner.