The growth in industrial exports to the European Union is expected to continue to grow this year, albeit at a slightly slower rate, according to the Israel Exports Institute, which said last week that they could reach $10 billion.

“We expect industrial exports to the EU to grow 6 per cent this year after having grown 13.5 per cent to $9.4 billion in 2006,” said Yehiel Assia, director-general of the IEI. The figures do not include diamond exports, the IEI noted.

The biggest increase in exports last year were in sales to Malta, which grew 150 per cent to $56.5 million, while exports to the Czech Republic grew 66.5 per cent to $105 million, Ani Krantz reported in The Jerusalem Post.

Israel’s main trade partners in the region also showed significant growth for the year as exports to France rose 36 per cent to $937 million, to Germany by 33 per cent to $1.65 billion and exports to Spain jumped 30 per cent to $814.5 million.

On the downside, exports to Britain dropped 1.5 per cent to $1.3 billion while sales to Belgium decreased five per cent to $79 7million.