Provisional data for international trade show that the trade deficit in December stood at €215.7 million, up by €100.8 million when compared to the corresponding month in 2013, the NSO said. Both imports and exports registered decreases of €21.5 million and €122.3 million respectively. The decrease in the value of imports was primarily due to mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (-€30.8 million).

Other decreases were recorded for machinery and transport equipment, food, animal and vegetable oils and fats, miscellaneous manufactured articles, and miscellaneous transactions and commodities. Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials accounted for the main decrease in the value of exports (-€99.4 million). Other decreases were registered for all commodity groups except for animal and vegetable oils and fats, and miscellaneous manufactured articles.

January-December 2014

Annual data for 2014 show that the trade deficit widened by €835.2 million, to €2,595.6 million when compared to 2013. Imports increased by €628.5 million, while exports registered a decrease of €206.7 million. The increase in imports was mainly due to mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (+€320.2 million) and machinery and transport equipment (+€229.9 million). The decrease in the value of exports was primarily due to machinery and transport equipment (-€124.1 million), mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (-€57.5 million), and miscellaneous manufactured articles (-€32.4 million).

 

Malta’s trade imports from the European Union reached €3,141.0 million, or 49.7 per cent of the total for the period under review. There was a drop of €233.0 million in imports from euro area countries when compared to the same period of 2013. Main increases and decreases in imports were registered from Canada and Italy respectively. On the export side the main increase was directed to Egypt with Japan registering the highest decrease.