International trade
Background information
Many decision-makers in the public and private sectors, at the international, European Union, and national levels, rely on international trade statistics. International trade data, for instance, are extensively used at the EU level to define and implement anti-dumping policy, evaluate the progress of the Single Market, and many other policies. They are also used for multilateral and bilateral negotiations within the framework of the common commercial policy.
Additionally, they are a key part of making statistics about the balance of payments and national accounts.
Information in the database
International trade in goods statistics display data for both extra-EU and intra-EU trade:
- extra-EU trade statistics cover the trading of goods between an EU member and a non-member country
- intra-EU trade statistics cover the trading of goods between EU countries
The international trade Euro indicators are published for the euro area and its members, as well as for the European Union and its members. They only refer to extra-zone trade, meaning the extra-euro area and extra-EU trade. International trade statistics are broken down by major product groups based on the broad economic categories (BEC) classification.