BELGIAN FOREIGN TRADE AGENCY

FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS

010101---06/201406/201406/2014

For further informa#on

Belgian Foreign Trade Agency Rue Montoyer 3 B-1000 Brussels

Belgium

Studies and sta#s#cs

Christelle Charlier

Director

�+32 2 206 35 78

christelle.charlier@abh-ace.be

Sammy Sioen

Sta�s�cs Administrator

�+32 2 206 35 63

sammy.sioen@abh-ace.be

Dennis Gijsbrechts

Sta�s�cs Administrator

�+32 2 206 35 73

dennis.gijsbrechts@abh-ace.be

David Leffler

Assistant

�+32 2 206 35 64 david.leffler@abh-ace.be

The figures in this brochure, provided by the Na#onal Bank of Belgium and processed by the Belgian

Foreign Trade Agency, are provisional results which have been par#ally rec#fied.

Due to rounding off and/or changes in real #me in the data base the totals in the various tables may

differ from the sum of the sec#ons (one digit a8er the comma).

The following sta#s#cal data are based upon the community concept and not upon the na#onal con-

cept that relies on the principle of economic residence. The community concept takes into considera#on

e.g. the import and export transac#ons carried out by VAT registered non-residents without the inter-

ven#on of residents. Returned goods are also taken into account.

Source: EUROSTAT

1

BELGIAN FOREIGN TRADE

01-06/2014

EXPORTS IMPORTS BALANCE COVER

RATIO

X 1.000 €

01-06/2013 177.135.571,1 174.075.282,4 3.060.288,7 101,8

01-06/2014 177.955.769,9 171.437.713,0 6.518.056,9 103,8

% VARIATION

01-06/2014 - 01-06/2013 0,5 -1,5

PER CONTINENT EXPORTS IMPORTS COVER

X 1.000 € 01-06/2014 % Tot. 01-06/2014 % Tot. RATIO

Europe 135.534.222,1 76,2 125.803.290,9 73,4 107,7

Asia 19.183.419,8 10,8 22.235.287,7 13,0 86,3

America 13.951.427,1 7,8 17.674.897,4 10,3 78,9

Africa 6.244.127,9 3,5 4.865.724,3 2,8 128,3

Oceania 933.720,8 0,5 825.887,4 0,5 113,1

Others 2.108.852,2 1,2 32.625,3 0,0 6.463,9

TOTAL 177.955.769,9 100,0 171.437.713,0 100,0 103,8

Europe

76,2%

Asia

10,8%

America

7,8%

Africa

3,5%

Oceania

0,5%

Others

1,2%

EXPORTS PER CONTINENT

Europe

73,4%

Asia

13,0%

America

10,3%

Africa

2,8%

Oceania

0,5%

IMPORTS PER CONTINENT

X 1.000 € EXPORTS VAR. TOT.

01-06/2013 01-06/2014 % %

GERMANY 29.646.985,6 29.940.714,7 1,0 16,8

FRANCE 28.042.621,5 28.040.108,5 0,0 15,8

NETHERLANDS 22.270.150,8 21.075.608,8 -5,4 11,8

UNITED KINGDOM 13.155.275,3 13.831.753,7 5,1 7,8

U.S.A. 9.182.426,3 9.537.723,9 3,9 5,4

ITALY 7.951.075,3 7.898.600,9 -0,7 4,4

SPAIN 4.302.277,1 4.518.156,2 5,0 2,5

INDIA 4.251.852,8 4.403.385,0 3,6 2,5

CHINA 3.312.579,3 3.840.839,5 16,0 2,2

POLAND 2.832.973,5 3.211.872,5 13,4 1,8

LUXEMBOURG 3.037.121,2 2.843.288,7 -6,4 1,6

SWITZERLAND 2.406.319,4 2.626.221,4 9,1 1,5

SWEDEN 2.448.276,5 2.526.464,5 3,2 1,4

TURKEY 2.352.287,4 2.494.626,2 6,1 1,4

RUSSIA 2.658.569,8 2.120.035,7 -20,3 1,2

AUSTRIA 1.725.656,6 1.851.448,0 7,3 1,0

U.A.E. 1.423.528,0 1.837.440,3 29,1 1,0

BRAZIL 1.551.922,3 1.665.303,0 7,3 0,9

JAPAN 1.750.534,5 1.532.508,7 -12,5 0,9

CZECH REP. 1.364.318,3 1.479.244,9 8,4 0,8

Belgium’s top 20 customers

2

X 1.000 € IMPORTS VAR. TOT.

01-06/2013 01-06/2014 % %

NETHERLANDS 35.975.283,5 34.861.755,3 -3,1 20,3

GERMANY 23.891.526,8 22.579.638,3 -5,5 13,2

FRANCE 18.518.952,8 17.309.703,5 -6,5 10,1

U.S.A. 11.402.826,0 12.142.193,3 6,5 7,1

UNITED KINGDOM 9.513.202,0 8.602.949,5 -9,6 5,0

CHINA 6.570.512,5 6.432.344,2 -2,1 3,8

ITALY 5.424.227,9 5.943.919,8 9,6 3,5

RUSSIA 5.288.149,7 5.750.400,2 8,7 3,4

IRELAND 6.282.138,7 5.728.394,6 -8,8 3,3

SWEDEN 3.384.288,6 3.437.448,1 1,6 2,0

SPAIN 3.316.210,4 3.108.741,4 -6,3 1,8

JAPAN 3.629.949,3 2.937.640,1 -19,1 1,7

NORWAY 3.241.439,8 2.562.446,6 -21,0 1,5

SWITZERLAND 1.831.369,8 2.192.146,1 19,7 1,3

INDIA 2.295.730,9 2.183.654,3 -4,9 1,3

SINGAPORE 1.942.923,9 2.027.142,4 4,3 1,2

POLAND 1.638.099,5 1.903.483,7 16,2 1,1

TURKEY 1.660.944,8 1.734.440,5 4,4 1,0

CZECH REP. 1.582.158,6 1.655.043,8 4,6 1,0

CANADA 1.214.561,9 1.411.574,2 16,2 0,8

Belgium’s top 20 suppliers

3

Chemical products

23,2%

Mineral products

12,0%

Transport equipment

10,4%

Machinery and equipment

10,1%

Plastics

8,1%

Base metals

7,2%

Precious metals and stones

5,2%

Foodstuffs

4,7%

Textiles

3,2%

Others

15,9%

BELGIUM'S TOP EXPORT SECTIONS

Belgium’s export sec#ons

4

BELGIAN EXPORTS VAR. JANUARY-JUNE VAR. % TOT.

SECTIONS x 1.000 € 2013 2014 % 2013 2014 % 2014

Chemical products 5.955.789,1 6.962.541,7 16,9 40.793.662,2 41.371.309,9 1,4 23,2

Mineral products 3.926.377,4 3.399.930,6 -13,4 24.230.741,1 21.324.295,1 -12,0 12,0

Transport equipment 2.944.770,2 3.147.280,8 6,9 17.186.821,0 18.483.734,6 7,5 10,4

Machinery and equipment 3.116.081,4 3.112.176,5 -0,1 18.179.896,0 17.998.959,1 -1,0 10,1

Plastics 2.453.490,9 2.379.042,9 -3,0 14.845.732,9 14.414.652,8 -2,9 8,1

Base metals 2.215.716,7 2.149.016,1 -3,0 13.428.726,6 12.879.474,4 -4,1 7,2

Precious metals and stones 1.382.395,3 1.451.249,4 5,0 8.568.347,8 9.342.277,7 9,0 5,2

Foodstuffs 1.353.006,2 1.467.295,4 8,4 8.195.479,3 8.447.846,1 3,1 4,7

Textiles 883.872,1 910.767,5 3,0 5.447.171,6 5.693.750,7 4,5 3,2

Optical instruments 828.206,1 937.419,6 13,2 4.757.383,1 5.501.482,0 15,6 3,1

Vegetable products 683.890,5 671.563,7 -1,8 4.273.055,8 4.064.983,6 -4,9 2,3

Live animals 609.310,3 658.712,3 8,1 3.592.564,1 3.899.947,3 8,6 2,2

Non-classified articles 445.067,9 585.477,9 31,5 2.727.696,3 3.314.146,4 21,5 1,9

Paper and paperboard 427.926,1 426.569,0 -0,3 2.612.444,0 2.591.312,5 -0,8 1,5

Footwear, headgear and umbrellas 275.655,2 348.929,0 26,6 1.823.913,3 2.155.204,4 18,2 1,2

Miscellaneous manufactured articles 349.544,3 353.675,9 1,2 2.092.993,0 2.094.181,5 0,1 1,2

Stone. Plaster. Cement. 303.757,8 264.009,5 -13,1 1.709.502,5 1.681.860,9 -1,6 0,9

Wood and articles of wood 183.207,0 189.681,6 3,5 1.051.247,4 1.101.872,1 4,8 0,6

Fats and oils 121.283,4 115.471,3 -4,8 804.500,7 746.331,0 -7,2 0,4

Raw hides and skins, leather 111.658,3 110.284,2 -1,2 563.569,8 586.113,0 4,0 0,3

Arms and ammunition 18.021,6 30.186,1 67,5 203.333,8 189.219,6 -6,9 0,1

Works of art 8.823,4 6.148,1 -30,3 46.789,0 72.815,4 55,6 0,0

TOTAL 28.597.850,8 29.677.429,2 3,8 177.135.571,1 177.955.769,9 0,5 100,0

JUNE

Chemical products

20,1%

Mineral products

18,1%

Machinery and equipment

11,7%

Transport equipment

10,9%

Base metals

6,7%

Plastics

5,5%

Precious metals and stones

4,8%

Foodstuffs

3,8%

Textiles

2,9%

Others

15,5%

BELGIUM'S TOP IMPORT SECTIONS

Belgium’s import sec#ons

5

BELGIAN IMPORTS JUNE VAR. JANUARY-JUNE VAR. % TOT.

SECTIONS x 1.000 € 2013 2014 % 2013 2014 % 2014

Chemical products 5.359.363,3 5.824.101,2 8,7 34.774.665,0 34.451.729,0 -0,9 20,1

Mineral products 5.187.965,3 5.174.516,0 -0,3 34.792.936,0 31.099.807,1 -10,6 18,1

Machinery and equipment 3.334.374,3 3.389.927,0 1,7 20.060.405,9 20.125.421,2 0,3 11,7

Transport equipment 2.888.839,9 2.871.246,0 -0,6 18.183.255,3 18.616.142,3 2,4 10,9

Base metals 1.877.816,9 1.978.984,1 5,4 11.704.514,6 11.511.429,2 -1,6 6,7

Plastics 1.552.779,9 1.592.368,3 2,5 9.283.743,9 9.509.994,4 2,4 5,5

Precious metals and stones 1.330.951,1 1.393.173,4 4,7 8.778.995,0 8.313.180,8 -5,3 4,8

Foodstuffs 1.056.682,7 1.174.349,3 11,1 6.092.781,2 6.521.052,3 7,0 3,8

Textiles 760.327,3 794.965,6 4,6 4.852.041,7 5.036.323,4 3,8 2,9

Vegetable products 852.415,5 902.255,0 5,8 5.510.603,8 5.020.450,4 -8,9 2,9

Optical instruments 758.783,0 832.530,4 9,7 4.489.798,9 4.872.589,1 8,5 2,8

Live animals 518.100,1 590.273,6 13,9 3.148.730,4 3.433.601,5 9,0 2,0

Paper and paperboard 470.171,4 452.174,5 -3,8 2.778.292,3 2.776.873,2 -0,1 1,6

Miscellaneous manufactured articles 439.076,6 447.819,6 2,0 2.627.831,2 2.763.796,1 5,2 1,6

Non-classified articles 259.945,3 257.300,3 -1,0 1.421.807,2 1.530.081,9 7,6 0,9

Stone, Plaster, Cement 269.284,9 240.337,9 -10,7 1.510.468,8 1.524.887,5 1,0 0,9

Footwear, headgear and umbrellas 209.906,7 247.512,8 17,9 1.357.180,9 1.498.416,8 10,4 0,9

Wood and articles of wood 207.426,0 212.302,1 2,4 1.175.305,2 1.287.565,3 9,6 0,8

Fats and oils 157.051,0 120.134,0 -23,5 896.158,6 871.643,3 -2,7 0,5

Raw hides and skins, leather 96.067,9 92.390,3 -3,8 515.858,9 531.183,1 3,0 0,3

Works of art 13.268,3 8.308,4 -37,4 61.089,1 74.984,2 22,7 0,0

Arms and ammunition 10.434,1 9.231,8 -11,5 58.818,7 66.561,2 13,2 0,0

TOTAL 27.611.031,4 28.606.201,4 3,6 174.075.282,4 171.437.713,0 -1,5 100,0

Belgian foreign trade within & outside the EU

6-7

X 1.000 € EXPORTS IMPORTS BALANCE

01-06/2013 01-06/2014 % VAR. % TOT. 01-06/2013 01-06/2014 % VAR. % TOT. 01-06/2013 01-06/2014

EU

EURO AREA COUNTRIES 101.386.844,6 100.499.907,9 -0,9 56,5 98.318.772,5 94.810.710,9 -3,6 55,3 3.068.072,1 5.689.197,0

FRANCE 28.042.621,5 28.027.964,5 -0,1 15,7 18.518.952,8 17.340.042,6 -6,4 10,1 9.523.668,6 10.687.921,8

LUXEMBOURG 3.037.121,2 2.848.449,6 -6,2 1,6 1.189.036,0 1.173.837,0 -1,3 0,7 1.848.085,2 1.674.612,6

NETHERLANDS 22.270.150,8 20.982.397,5 -5,8 11,8 35.975.283,5 34.912.933,8 -3,0 20,4 -13.705.132,7 -13.930.536,3

GERMANY 29.646.985,6 29.969.547,8 1,1 16,8 23.891.526,8 22.590.083,1 -5,4 13,2 5.755.458,9 7.379.464,7

ITALY 7.951.075,3 7.894.700,2 -0,7 4,4 5.424.227,9 5.948.646,3 9,7 3,5 2.526.847,4 1.946.054,0

IRELAND 927.844,8 861.703,0 -7,1 0,5 6.282.138,7 6.030.097,8 -4,0 3,5 -5.354.293,9 -5.168.394,8

GREECE 620.408,3 662.190,6 6,7 0,4 168.129,7 183.005,4 8,8 0,1 452.278,6 479.185,3

PORTUGAL 808.535,1 835.326,8 3,3 0,5 793.231,8 656.952,5 -17,2 0,4 15.303,4 178.374,3

SPAIN 4.302.277,1 4.530.748,3 5,3 2,5 3.316.210,4 3.122.061,5 -5,9 1,8 986.066,7 1.408.686,9

FINLAND 997.022,6 959.461,4 -3,8 0,5 954.175,3 1.046.969,5 9,7 0,6 42.847,3 -87.508,1

AUSTRIA 1.725.656,6 1.846.846,1 7,0 1,0 1.052.888,1 1.043.454,3 -0,9 0,6 672.768,4 803.391,8

SLOVENIA 267.564,8 259.711,8 -2,9 0,1 97.955,3 99.635,6 1,7 0,1 169.609,5 160.076,2

CYPRUS 92.937,5 121.425,8 30,7 0,1 99.112,3 50.846,4 -48,7 0,0 -6.174,8 70.579,4

MALTA 59.700,9 55.404,1 -7,2 0,0 19.694,8 18.164,8 -7,8 0,0 40.006,1 37.239,4

SLOVAKIA 477.605,2 497.486,4 4,2 0,3 436.456,6 439.574,3 0,7 0,3 41.148,6 57.912,1

ESTONIA 159.337,3 146.543,9 -8,0 0,1 99.752,6 154.406,0 54,8 0,1 59.584,7 -7.862,1

OTHER EU COUNTRIES 23.437.279,5 24.884.228,9 6,2 14,0 18.159.255,3 18.070.995,2 -0,5 10,5 5.278.024,2 6.813.233,7

UNITED KINGDOM 13.155.275,3 13.853.179,0 5,3 7,8 9.513.202,0 8.615.870,3 -9,4 5,0 3.642.073,3 5.237.308,7

DENMARK 1.224.190,6 1.289.888,1 5,4 0,7 546.113,0 621.546,0 13,8 0,4 678.077,5 668.342,1

SWEDEN 2.448.276,5 2.521.178,6 3,0 1,4 3.384.288,6 3.460.375,2 2,2 2,0 -936.012,1 -939.196,5

LATVIA 141.924,9 134.796,3 -5,0 0,1 54.473,0 70.592,8 29,6 0,0 87.451,9 64.203,5

LITHUANIA 421.270,4 400.962,5 -4,8 0,2 156.062,2 199.065,3 27,6 0,1 265.208,2 201.897,2

POLAND 2.832.973,5 3.203.171,6 13,1 1,8 1.638.099,5 1.910.755,8 16,6 1,1 1.194.874,0 1.292.415,8

CZECH REPUBLIC 1.364.318,3 1.489.690,6 9,2 0,8 1.582.158,6 1.658.845,8 4,8 1,0 -217.840,3 -169.155,2

HUNGARY 907.115,8 946.607,4 4,4 0,5 597.424,3 672.389,0 12,5 0,4 309.691,5 274.218,4

ROMANIA 609.327,0 629.978,3 3,4 0,4 346.591,1 386.843,3 11,6 0,2 262.735,9 243.135,0

BULGARIA 239.985,8 294.590,3 22,8 0,2 312.851,9 428.210,9 36,9 0,2 -72.866,2 -133.620,5

CROATIA 92.621,5 120.186,2 29,8 0,1 27.991,1 46.500,9 66,1 0,0 64.630,3 73.685,2

TOTAL EU 124.824.124,1 125.384.136,8 0,4 70,5 116.478.027,8 112.881.706,0 -3,1 65,8 8.346.096,2 12.502.430,8

EUROPE OUTSIDE THE EU 10.115.923,3 10.150.085,3 0,3 5,7 12.662.633,2 12.921.584,9 2,0 7,5 -2.546.710,0 -2.771.499,5

ICELAND 28.674,3 32.847,9 14,6 0,0 27.481,2 24.132,6 -12,2 0,0 1.193,2 8.715,3

NORWAY 884.398,5 839.502,8 -5,1 0,5 3.241.439,8 2.562.512,6 -20,9 1,5 -2.357.041,3 -1.723.009,9

SWITZERLAND 2.406.319,4 2.632.596,7 9,4 1,5 1.831.369,8 2.196.876,7 20,0 1,3 574.949,6 435.720,0

TURKEY 2.352.287,4 2.502.006,3 6,4 1,4 1.660.944,8 1.750.441,3 5,4 1,0 691.342,6 751.565,0

UKRAINE 375.875,0 261.746,2 -30,4 0,1 153.567,2 201.665,2 31,3 0,1 222.307,9 60.081,0

RUSSIAN FEDERATION 2.658.569,8 2.132.560,9 -19,8 1,2 5.288.149,7 5.748.754,1 8,7 3,4 -2.629.579,9 -3.616.193,2

OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES 1.409.798,8 1.748.824,6 24,0 1,0 459.680,8 437.202,3 -4,9 0,3 950.118,0 1.311.622,2

TOTAL EUROPE 134.940.047,3 135.534.222,1 0,4 76,2 129.140.661,0 125.803.290,9 -2,6 73,4 5.799.386,3 9.730.931,2

X 1.000 € EXPORTS IMPORTS BALANCE

01-06/2013 01-06/2014 % VAR. % TOT. 01-06/2013 01-06/2014 % VAR. % TOT. 01-06/2013 01-06/2014

EUROPE 134.940.047,3 135.534.222,1 0,4 76,2 129.140.661,0 125.803.290,9 -2,6 73,4 5.799.386,3 9.730.931,2

AFRICA 6.597.456,9 6.244.127,9 -5,4 3,5 4.096.931,5 4.865.724,3 18,8 2,8 2.500.525,4 1.378.403,6

ALGERIA 570.256,4 609.832,9 6,9 0,3 758.188,3 751.775,4 -0,8 0,4 -187.931,9 -141.942,4

TUNISIA 196.856,5 185.045,7 -6,0 0,1 168.294,6 146.637,2 -12,9 0,1 28.562,0 38.408,5

MOROCCO 393.541,3 374.677,1 -4,8 0,2 385.157,5 334.085,1 -13,3 0,2 8.383,8 40.592,0

IVORY COAST 113.674,4 114.018,4 0,3 0,1 171.065,4 231.541,1 35,4 0,1 -57.391,0 -117.522,7

NIGERIA 901.186,1 858.552,6 -4,7 0,5 48.452,8 107.839,3 122,6 0,1 852.733,3 750.713,3

EGYPT 666.520,5 557.647,6 -16,3 0,3 133.665,1 130.278,3 -2,5 0,1 532.855,4 427.369,2

CONGO (DEM. REP.) 166.646,0 155.270,6 -6,8 0,1 106.813,0 109.342,4 2,4 0,1 59.832,9 45.928,2

ANGOLA 195.983,5 172.102,1 -12,2 0,1 204.653,6 250.845,3 22,6 0,1 -8.670,1 -78.743,2

CAMEROON 169.581,1 134.571,2 -20,6 0,1 88.212,3 95.694,5 8,5 0,1 81.368,8 38.876,7

SENEGAL 171.156,8 252.033,1 47,3 0,1 12.414,2 16.703,4 34,6 0,0 158.742,6 235.329,7

SOUTH AFRICA 792.951,8 658.507,5 -17,0 0,4 843.634,0 815.661,3 -3,3 0,5 -50.682,2 -157.153,8

GHANA 326.301,7 172.954,7 -47,0 0,1 72.521,8 94.404,6 30,2 0,1 253.779,9 78.550,1

KENYA 58.445,0 60.972,7 4,3 0,0 19.713,2 15.870,5 -19,5 0,0 38.731,8 45.102,2

LIBYA 111.079,6 115.856,0 4,3 0,1 37.561,1 8.427,9 -77,6 0,0 73.518,5 107.428,1

OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES 1.763.276,3 1.822.085,8 3,3 1,0 1.046.584,6 1.756.618,0 67,8 1,0 716.691,7 65.467,7

AMERICA 13.884.829,0 13.951.427,1 0,5 7,8 16.315.464,4 17.674.897,4 8,3 10,3 -2.430.635,4 -3.723.470,3

U.S.A. 9.182.426,3 9.545.230,7 4,0 5,4 11.402.826,0 12.168.255,9 6,7 7,1 -2.220.399,8 -2.623.025,2

CANADA 1.014.506,6 953.803,1 -6,0 0,5 1.214.561,9 1.411.143,7 16,2 0,8 -200.055,3 -457.340,6

MEXICO 550.946,4 494.737,5 -10,2 0,3 708.101,6 886.406,4 25,2 0,5 -157.155,2 -391.668,9

COLOMBIA 182.338,7 181.548,2 -0,4 0,1 244.993,7 295.554,2 20,6 0,2 -62.655,0 -114.006,0

VENEZUELA 125.433,3 134.214,5 7,0 0,1 112.372,8 179.604,2 59,8 0,1 13.060,5 -45.389,7

BRAZIL 1.551.922,3 1.705.437,4 9,9 1,0 1.169.582,7 1.208.426,9 3,3 0,7 382.339,5 497.010,5

CHILE 240.055,1 200.348,8 -16,5 0,1 382.673,9 461.659,3 20,6 0,3 -142.618,8 -261.310,6

ARGENTINA 476.578,7 232.744,1 -51,2 0,1 107.959,4 83.216,7 -22,9 0,0 368.619,3 149.527,3

PERU 132.662,8 148.913,7 12,2 0,1 196.588,4 164.495,5 -16,3 0,1 -63.925,6 -15.581,8

CUBA 21.372,4 31.766,2 48,6 0,0 52.208,7 9.091,8 -82,6 0,0 -30.836,3 22.674,5

OTHER AMERICAN COUNTRIES 406.586,5 322.683,0 -20,6 0,2 723.595,1 807.042,9 11,5 0,5 -317.008,6 -484.359,9

ASIA 18.268.814,5 19.183.419,8 5,0 10,8 23.369.852,3 22.235.287,7 -4,9 13,0 -5.101.037,8 -3.051.867,9

LEBANON 160.593,8 193.986,6 20,8 0,1 34.153,2 17.662,0 -48,3 0,0 126.440,6 176.324,6

IRAN 109.086,5 156.102,9 43,1 0,1 46.462,9 36.877,5 -20,6 0,0 62.623,6 119.225,4

ISRAEL 1.096.009,2 1.045.548,4 -4,6 0,6 974.488,1 931.088,5 -4,5 0,5 121.521,2 114.459,9

SAUDI ARABIA 952.070,0 870.078,3 -8,6 0,5 803.728,6 657.541,4 -18,2 0,4 148.341,4 212.536,9

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 1.423.528,0 1.840.095,4 29,3 1,0 1.319.657,3 1.152.348,9 -12,7 0,7 103.870,7 687.746,5

PAKISTAN 179.820,5 135.805,7 -24,5 0,1 156.415,3 175.640,7 12,3 0,1 23.405,2 -39.835,0

SYRIA 23.768,7 21.969,3 -7,6 0,0 2.672,3 859,3 -67,8 0,0 21.096,5 21.110,1

KUWAIT 80.285,2 71.454,8 -11,0 0,0 32.884,0 80.615,3 145,2 0,0 47.401,2 -9.160,5

INDIA 4.251.852,8 4.405.533,3 3,6 2,5 2.295.730,9 2.191.261,6 -4,6 1,3 1.956.121,9 2.214.271,8

SRI LANKA 92.526,9 43.308,2 -53,2 0,0 165.164,7 120.342,6 -27,1 0,1 -72.637,9 -77.034,4

THAILAND 525.630,1 437.379,0 -16,8 0,2 726.984,5 632.236,8 -13,0 0,4 -201.354,4 -194.857,7

VIETNAM 198.573,7 172.229,5 -13,3 0,1 555.026,1 633.088,6 14,1 0,4 -356.452,4 -460.859,0

INDONESIA 214.335,3 226.437,8 5,6 0,1 541.510,2 538.660,8 -0,5 0,3 -327.174,9 -312.223,0

MALAYSIA 357.930,2 252.307,2 -29,5 0,1 308.919,4 365.013,1 18,2 0,2 49.010,8 -112.706,0

SINGAPORE 585.757,6 636.808,1 8,7 0,4 1.942.923,9 2.031.488,2 4,6 1,2 -1.357.166,3 -1.394.680,1

PHILIPPINES 117.427,4 131.175,2 11,7 0,1 63.554,5 74.101,3 16,6 0,0 53.872,9 57.073,9

CHINA 3.312.579,3 3.849.443,1 16,2 2,2 6.570.512,5 6.494.695,3 -1,2 3,8 -3.257.933,3 -2.645.252,3

SOUTH KOREA 651.397,9 726.689,3 11,6 0,4 1.003.618,0 1.102.100,7 9,8 0,6 -352.220,2 -375.411,5

JAPAN 1.750.534,5 1.535.834,3 -12,3 0,9 3.629.949,3 2.938.881,7 -19,0 1,7 -1.879.414,8 -1.403.047,5

TAIWAN 345.426,3 344.314,8 -0,3 0,2 453.321,4 497.351,3 9,7 0,3 -107.895,1 -153.036,6

HONG KONG 1.170.431,8 1.377.963,7 17,7 0,8 550.189,5 492.509,6 -10,5 0,3 620.242,4 885.454,1

JORDAN 96.301,4 136.408,9 41,6 0,1 7.455,5 12.335,8 65,5 0,0 88.845,9 124.073,2

OTHER ASIAN COUNTRIES 572.947,7 572.546,2 -0,1 0,3 1.184.530,3 1.058.586,8 -10,6 0,6 -611.582,6 -486.040,7

OCEANIA 1.082.797,9 933.720,8 -13,8 0,5 1.129.587,6 825.887,4 -26,9 0,5 -46.789,7 107.833,4

AUSTRALIA 947.897,6 807.356,0 -14,8 0,5 948.270,4 644.227,2 -32,1 0,4 -372,8 163.128,8

NEW ZEALAND 106.031,8 92.018,7 -13,2 0,1 129.752,3 131.664,1 1,5 0,1 -23.720,4 -39.645,3

OTHER OCEANIAN COUNTRIES 28.868,4 34.346,1 19,0 0,0 51.564,9 49.996,2 -3,0 0,0 -22.696,5 -15.650,1

MISCELLANEOUS 2.361.625,5 2.108.852,2 -10,7 1,2 22.785,5 32.625,3 43,2 0,0 2.338.840,0 2.076.226,9

TOTAL 177.135.571,1 177.955.769,9 0,5 100,0 174.075.282,4 171.437.713,0 -1,5 100,0 3.060.288,7 6.518.056,9

80%

20%

DELIVERIES

84%

16%

PURCHASES

EURO AREA

OUTSIDE THE EURO AREA

Movement of goods within the EU in 2014

JANUARY-JUNE

8

0

5.000.000

10.000.000

15.000.000

20.000.000

25.000.000

30.000.000

35.000.000

x 1

.000

€

EURO AREA

DELIVERIES PURCHASES

0

2.000.000

4.000.000

6.000.000

8.000.000

10.000.000

12.000.000

14.000.000

x 1

.00

0 €

OUTSIDE THE EURO AREA

DELIVERIES PURCHASES

Comparison deliveries-purchases in 2014

JANUARY-JUNE

9

0

5.000.000

10.000.000

15.000.000

20.000.000

25.000.000

30.000.000

x 1

.00

0 €

EVOLUTION OF THE DELIVERIES IN THE EURO AREA

01-06/2013 01-06/2014

0

5.000.000

10.000.000

15.000.000

20.000.000

25.000.000

30.000.000

35.000.000

40.000.000

x 1

.00

0 €

EVOLUTION OF THE PURCHASES IN THE EURO AREA

01-06/2013 01-06/2014

Movement of goods within the euro area countries

10

0

2.000.000

4.000.000

6.000.000

8.000.000

10.000.000

12.000.000

14.000.000

x 1

.00

0 €

EVOLUTION OF THE DELIVERIES OUTSIDE THE EURO AREA

01-06/2013 01-06/2014

0

1.000.000

2.000.000

3.000.000

4.000.000

5.000.000

6.000.000

7.000.000

8.000.000

9.000.000

10.000.000

x 1

.00

0 €

EVOLUTION OF THE PURCHASES OUTSIDE THE EURO AREA

01-06/2013 01-06/2014

Movement of goods within the EU but outside

the euro area

11

01-06/2013 01-06/201401-06/2014 -

01-06/201301-06/2013 01-06/2014

01-06/2014 -

01-06/201301-06/2013 01-06/2014

MONTHS EXPORTS IMPORTS BALANCE

QUARTERS % %

JANUARY 28.595.302,1 28.996.124,1 1,4 28.834.211,7 28.663.550,7 -0,6 -238.909,6 332.573,4

FEBRUARY 28.210.137,7 28.807.098,9 2,1 28.275.493,4 27.725.814,0 -1,9 -65.355,7 1.081.284,9

MARCH 31.059.778,1 30.903.335,9 -0,5 31.204.568,7 30.004.014,1 -3,8 -144.790,6 899.321,8

1st QUARTER 87.865.217,9 88.706.559,0 1,0 88.314.273,8 86.393.378,9 -2,2 -449.055,9 2.313.180,1

APRIL 30.385.947,5 30.345.714,3 -0,1 29.506.766,0 28.738.387,0 -2,6 879.181,5 1.607.327,3

MAY 30.286.554,9 29.226.067,4 -3,5 28.643.211,3 27.699.745,8 -3,3 1.643.343,6 1.526.321,6

JUNE 28.597.850,8 29.677.429,2 3,8 27.611.031,4 28.606.201,4 3,6 986.819,5 1.071.227,9

2nd QUARTER 89.270.353,3 89.249.210,9 0,0 85.761.008,7 85.044.334,1 -0,8 3.509.344,6 4.204.876,8

6 MONTHS 177.135.571,1 177.955.769,9 0,5 174.075.282,4 171.437.713,0 -1,5 3.060.288,7 6.518.056,9

JULY #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

AUGUST #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

SEPTEMBER #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

3rd QUARTER #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

9 MONTHS #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

OCTOBER #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

NOVEMBER #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

DECEMBER #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

4th QUARTER #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

12 MONTHS #DIV/0! #DIV/0! 0,0 0,0

X 1.000 € X 1.000 € X 1.000 €

Monthly evolu#on of Belgium’s trade

12

Analysis of the figures for the year 2013

In 2013 Belgian exports increased by 1.8%, rising from EUR 347.1 billion to EUR 353.5 billion.

Belgian imports evolved in the opposite direc�on. Between 2012 and 2013 Belgian purchases abroad

decreased by 0.7%, from EUR 341.8 billion to EUR 339.4 billion.

Belgium’s balance of trade is posi�ve and increased from EUR 5.3 billion in 2012 to EUR 14.1 billion in

2013.

1. Exports

1.1. Geographical developments

1.1.1. Europe

In 2013, Belgian deliveries to the Member States of the European Union increased by 1.9%, whereas a

year earlier they had fallen by 1.2%.

While Belgian exports of goods to the countries of the euro area only rose slightly last year, deliveries to

the countries that do not belong to the euro area rose sharply. The relevant evolu�ons were as follows:

+0.9% in 2013 compared with -1.9% in 2012 for the first group of countries, and

+6.3% in 2013 compared with +1.8% in 2012 for the second group of countries.

Euro area countries

In 2013, the best export performances were achieved in Malta (+28.8%), Ireland (+10.9%), Slovenia

(+6.6%) and Austria (+5.1%).

Exports of goods to Greece, where the repercussions of the economic and financial crisis are s�ll being

felt, fell further by 4.0% in 2013. Exports to Italy, Spain and Portugal, on the other hand, seem to have

climbed out of a nega�ve spiral, since last year increases of 4.3%, 4.1% and 0.6% respec�vely were record-

ed.

Other EU member countries

Thanks to the good results in, among others, Bulgaria (+10.8%), Lithuania (+10.2%), Latvia (+10.1%), Ro-

mania (+9.3%) and the United Kingdom (+8.3%), total Belgian exports to the countries that do not belong

to the euro area rose by 6.3% in 2013, unaffected by the decline in exports to Croa�a (-13.3%).

1.1.2. Intercon#nental expor#ng

Developments recorded in intercon�nental exports vary considerably. While exports to Africa rose in

2013, those to America, Asia and Oceania fell. This is shown below: Africa: +13.2% in 2013 compared to +17.7% in 2012; America: -3.0% in 2013 compared to +16.2% in 2012;

Asia: -0.1% in 2013 compared to +3.3% in 2012 and Oceania: -0.2% in 2013 compared to +4.2% in 2012.

Where Africa is concerned, deliveries to, among others, Libya (-5.6%), Egypt (-6.8%), Tunisia (-9.8%), South

Africa (-14.3%), Kenya (-17.4%) and Angola (-18.2%) fell. Conversely, there was an increase in exports to,

among others, Ghana (+81.1%), Nigeria (+35.6%) and Cameroon (+29.0%).

In America, however, Belgian exporters saw exports fall. The 3.0% drop in total exports to this con�nent in

2013 was mainly due to falling sales to the United States (-11.7%), Mexico (-9.5%), Chile (-1.9%) and Vene-

zuela (-25.3%). The strong performances in Argen�na (+119.5%), Cuba (+28.4%), Brazil (+24.7%), Peru

(+20.8%), Canada (+18.8%) and Colombia (+7.1%) were unable to alter this.

Exports from Belgium to Asia increased in par�cular in the UAE (+34.7%), Vietnam (+32.1%), Malaysia

(+26.9%), Lebanon (+22.7%), Pakistan (+19.3%) and Saudi Arabia (+16.0%). Belgian exports also fell in,

among others, Japan (-8.2%), Taiwan (-12.7%), Kuwait (-17.3%), South Korea (-19.4%), Iran (-23.4%), Sri

Lanka (-39.7%) and Syria (-46.8%). Despite the fact that Asia remains Belgium’s most important market

outside Europe, exports to this con�nent s�ll fell slightly in 2013 (-0.1%). The general result for Oceania was also nega�ve. Total exports to the con�nent fell by 0.2% in 2013

(compared with +4.2% in 2012). AJer a 5.9% increase in 2012, sales to Australia fell by 0.6% in 2013. Ex-

ports to New Zealand rose by 8.3% during this period.

Belgium’s foreign trade in 2013

(Source: NBB – Community concept)

13

1.1.3. Market shares

The European Union remains by far the largest trade partner of Belgium. From 2012 to 2013, the EU

share increased very slightly, from 70.0% to 70.1%. The trend of recent years, which saw a drop in the EU

share in favour of emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, was thus

somewhat reversed last year.

Euro area countries currently account for 56.7% of Belgian exports, compared with 57.2% in 2012. The

share of the other EU countries rose from 12.7% to 13.3%.

A few slight varia�ons should be noted for Belgium’s four largest customers:

- Germany’s share fell from 17.4% to 16.9%,

- France’s share remained the same at 15.6%,

- the Netherlands’ share fell from 12.5% to 12.3%,

- the United Kingdom’s rose from 7.1% to 7.5%.

The share of European countries outside the European Union rose from 5.8% in 2012 to 5.9% in 2013.

The share of Belgian exports of goods to the different con�nents evolved as follows in 2013 compared

with a year earlier: from 5.5% in 2011 to 5.8% in 2012. From 2011 to 2012 Belgian foreign trade shares

for the different con�nents evolved as follows: Africa: 3.7% in 2013 compared to 3.3% in 2012; America:

8.0% in 2013 compared to 8.4% in 2012; Asia: 10.5% in 2013 compared to 10.7% in 2012; Oceania: share

remained unchanged at 0.6%.

1.2. Sectoral developments

The chemical products sec�on was s�ll responsible for the lion’s share of total Belgian exports with

23.4%. Exports for this group of products rose by 1.2% from 2012 to 2013.

Mineral products took second place, accoun�ng for 13.5% of total Belgian exports, which increased by

13.1% for this product group as opposed to a surge of 8.3% the previous year. The increase in exports of

this sec�on can largely be aMributed to the sub-shares for “petroleum oils or bituminous minerals” and

“petroleum gas and other gaseous hydrocarbons”.

Machinery and equipment takes third place with a share of 10.3%, despite a drop in exports of 4.6%.

Transport equipment takes fourth place with a share of 9.9% (+2.7%) of total Belgian exports.

Plas#cs completed the top five of the most important export products. Thanks to an increase in sales of

0.9%, this group of products represented a share of 8.2%.

2. Imports

2.1. Geographical developments

Belgian imports from the European Union countries fell by 2.6% in 2013, compared with a rise of 1.4% in

2012. Belgium’s purchases within the euro area declined by 3.0%. Imports from other EU countries out-

side the euro area fell by 0.3%, following a drop of 3.9% in 2012.

In the euro area, Belgium saw a decrease in imports par�cularly from Portugal (-11.3%), Greece (-13.2%),

Ireland (-20.2%) and Malta (-46.3%). Imports from Estonia (+21.1%), Cyprus (+17.5%), Finland (+10.0%),

Italy (+3.1%), Austria (+1.8%), Spain (+1.7%), Slovakia (+0.8%) and France (+0.2%) were up in 2013. Never-

theless, the posi�ve figures were unable to compensate for the negative results. The reason why imports from the other EU countries outside the euro area fell by 0.3% in 2013 is primari-

ly a reduc�on in imports from Hungary (-1.0%), the United Kingdom (-3.7%), Croa�a (-20.2%) and Bulgaria

(-21.5%).

14

Imports from other European countries outside the EU increased by 10.9% in 2013 due to an increase in

imports from Norway (+19.9%), Russia (+16.9%) and Turkey (+3.1%). A decrease in imports from Switzer-

land (-1.7%), Ukraine (-6.0%) and Iceland (-17.4%) had no effect. Imports from the rest of the world evolved differently from one con�nent to another. Imports from

America rose in 2013, while those from Asia, Africa and Oceania fell.

• Africa: -6.9% in 2013 compared to +11.5% in 2012;

• America: +6.5% in 2013 compared to +5.0% in 2012;

• Asia: -0.7% in 2013 compared to –3.1% in 2012 and

• Oceania: -16.4% in 2013 compared to +12.2% in 2012.

2.2. Sectoral developments

As in the case for exports, the largest share of imports belongs to chemical products, which account for a

fiJh of our total imports (20.0%). The share of this group of products fell slightly in 2013, due to a de-

crease in imports of this type of product amoun�ng to 2.0%.

Mineral products occupied second place with a share of 19.7%, an increase of 5.1%.

The top five major import sec�ons was completed by machinery and equipment, transport equipment

and base metals, with a share of total Belgian imports of 11.6%, 10.5% and 6.6% respec�vely.

3. Geographical trade balances

Belgium announced a trade surplus with the European Union. It even increased significantly from

EUR 12.1 billion in 2012 to EUR 22.6 billion in 2013.

Euro area countries

In 2013, the posi�ve trade balance with France grew to EUR 19.4 billion. Significant, but lower surpluses

were also recorded with Germany (EUR 14.0 billion), Italy (EUR 5.0 billion), the Grand Duchy of Luxem-

bourg (EUR 3.7 billion), Spain (EUR 2.0 billion) and Austria (EUR 1.4 billion).

The trade deficit with the Netherlands fell from EUR 27.0 billion in 2012 to EUR 26.1 billion in 2013. The

trade balance with Ireland also remained nega�ve (EUR -10.2 billion).

Other EU member countries

With regard to the EU countries outside the euro area, the overall trade balance remains posi�ve. It in-

creased from EUR 8.7 billion in 2012 to EUR 11.6 billion in 2013.

Belgium’s trade balance with the other European countries outside the EU remained nega�ve. The defi-

cit even increased significantly, from EUR -2.1 billion to EUR -3.7 billion. Belgium’s nega�ve balance with

Russia and Norway increased to EUR -4.8 billion and EUR -4.4 billion respec�vely. Conversely, the deficit

with Iceland changed to a slight surplus.

With regard to the other con�nents, it should be noted that Belgium’s trade balance with America de-

clined considerably. The deficit of EUR -2.8 billion recorded in 2012 more than doubled in 2013 to EUR -

5.8 billion.

The deficit with Asia dropped slightly in 2013, from EUR -8.9 billion to EUR -8.6 billion.

Belgium’s trade balance with Africa showed a surplus of EUR 4.8 billion in 2013, which is a vast improve-

ment over 2012, when the surplus amounted to just EUR 2.6 billion. The trade balance with Oceania ended 2013 with a surplus of EUR 403.9 million, compared with a surplus

a year earlier of just EUR 75.5 million.

15

Belgium, the heart of Europe

Belgium is a federal Kingdom comprised of three Regions (the Flemish Region, the Walloon Region and the Brus-

sels-Capital Region) and three Communi�es (the Flemish, the French and the German Communi�es).

Belgium has a popula�on of 11.1 million inhabitants (2013 est.) and is one of the most densely populated

countries in Europe. Brussels is the ‘Capital of Europe’: it hosts the headquarters of the European Commission, the

Council of Ministers and the European Parliament. Other major interna�onal organiza�ons, such as NATO, are

also located in Brussels. That is how Brussels ranks as the world’s number two city (aJer Washington, D.C.) in

terms of the number of accredited journalists, and fourth in terms of the number of interna�onal mee�ngs and

seminars held.

With a surface of 30,500 km2, Belgium is one of the smallest member states of the European Union. Nevertheless,

it is a significant player in the world economy. Belgium scores par�cularly well for its export-driven economy and

investment aMrac�veness. Its small size and limited internal market are the main factors behind the strong export

culture in Belgium. Moreover, due to its welldeveloped infrastructure, good living standards, central loca�on and

highly-skilled workforce, Belgium is also praised by foreign investors.

GDP (Gross Domes�c Product) reached €375.9 billion in 2012 and €381.3 billion in 2013. Due to the con�nuing

financial and economic crisis GDP growth was slightly nega�ve in 2012 (-0.1%), but it became posi�ve again in

2013 as Belgian GDP grew by 0.2%. Belgium is a high income country, with a GDP per capita of US$ 47,519 in 2013

(Economist Intelligence Unit).

In 2013, according to the World Trade Organiza�on (WTO), Belgium was the 12th exporter and 13

th importer of

goods worldwide with a share of 2.5% and 2.4% respec�vely. That same year it was also the 15th exporter and 15

th

importer of services worldwide with a share of 2.2% in both cases.

Since 2007, Belgium has been holding the top posi�on of the annual KOF Index of Globaliza�on, which measures

the economic, social and poli�cal dimensions of globaliza�on.

Belgium also boasts an excep�onal higher educa�on and training system (number 4 in the world in 2012), with

excellent math and science educa�on, top-notch management schools and a strong propensity for on-the-job

training. These elements contribute to an overall high capacity to innovate (11th in the world). Belgium’s goods

market is characterized by high levels of compe��on and an environment that facilitates new business crea�on.

Business opera�ons are also dis�nguished by high levels of sophis�ca�on and professional management.

Belgium’s economic & trade performance

16

Main economic indicators

Source: Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)

2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

GDP (€ bn) 340.7 355.7 369.3 375.9 375.6

Private consump#on (€ bn) 179.8 188.5 194.7 198.9 201.4

Gross fixed investment (€ bn) 70.9 71.5 76.5 76.5 75.7

Inward Direct Investment (USD bn) 65.8 86.9 102.0 -1.9 36.6

Current-account balance (USD bn) -6.6 8.4 -5.7 -6.6 -6.6

Growth of real GDP (%) -2.8 2.3 1.8 -0.1 0.2

Labor produc#vity growth (%) -2.6 1.6 0.4 -0.4 1.0

Consumer price infla#on (av; %) 0.0 2.3 3.4 2.6 1.1

Popula#on (m) 10.6 10.6 10.6 10.6 10.7

Exchange rate (av. : USD-€) 1.39 1.33 1.39 1.29 1.32

17