Press release 2/12/2009

FOREIGN TRADE STATISTICS (ECOMEX) 3rd QUARTER 2009

Exports from the Basque Country fell by 30.2% in the third quarter of 2009

Imports posted a nominal fall of 43.4% for the same period.

Exports from the Basque Country reported a nominal fall of 30.2% in the third quarter of 2009, according to EUSTAT data. They totalled 3,446 million euros compared to 4,940 million last year. This decrease in exports in the third quarter places the accumulated rate for the first nine months of 2009 at -31%.

Total imports experienced a 43.4% fall in the third quarter of the current year and came to 3,032 million euros. If only non-energy imports are considered, they performed less negatively (-40.9%) between July and September. The accumulated total for imports over these nine months grew by 44% compared to the same period of the previous year, while it fell by 42.4% in terms of non-energy imports.

The trade balance for the third quarter showed a surplus of 414 million euros and, as a result, the coverage rate of total exports in relation to imports rose to 113.7%. However, if imported and exported energy products are excluded, the non-energy trade balance registered a surplus of 1,227 million euros, similar to that of the third quarter of 2008, when it came to 1,236 million euros. The coverage of non-energy exports in relation to imports of the same type rose from 138.1% in the third quarter of 2008 to 164% in the same quarter of this year.



Exports to the European Union fell by 32.5% on the figures of the third quarter of 2008. Sales to all European Union countries have dropped, but special mention should be made of the year-on-year fall in terms of volume in the exports to France (.32%), Germany (-30.9%), Italy (-39.2%) and the United Kingdom (-42.3%). Exports to the USA (-45.7%) and Japan(-80.5%) decreased significantly, along with those to Mexico (-38.2%). There was only positive growth in the sales to the other OECD countries.

Imports from the European Union fell by 36.6%, repeating the situation of the exports, even though with higher downturn rates.

The largest duty tariff sections, for the Basque Country overall, were the ones that contributed the most to the negative performance of quarterly exports, particularly Metal and Manufactured, where foreign sales fell by 49.8%, and Mineral Products, which were down by 34.2%. There were also significant decreases in sales of Electrical Equipment (-19.4%), Transport Equipment (-13.6%) and Plastic and Rubber (-21.1%), to quote the most important. However, Food Products increased in the duty tariff section by 0.3%. In the areas of imports, there were notable decreases in Metal and Manufactured (-62.1%) and Mineral Products (-47.1%), while special mention should be made of the fall in imports of Transport Equipment down by 27.6%.

The greatest fall in exports was in Bizkaia. They dropped by 32.8% in the third quarter and by 33.5% for the first nine months of 2009 as a whole, which was due to the fall in Metal and Manufactured (-45.4%) and Mineral Products (-34.4%) over the last three months, while Paper and Manufactured rose by 18.1%. Imports headed for Bizkaia fell by 46.8% in the third quarter of 2009, with the largest drop being registered by Metal and Manufactured(-66.6%)

Exports from Álava in July, August and September were down by 32.2% with respect to the same months of 2008, which was slightly better than the performance for the first nine months of 2009 (-36.7%). This decrease in exports from Álava was partly due to the fall in exports of Transport Material (-35.6%), which accounted for 34% of exports from this province. Another notable drop in the exports was posted by Metals and Manufactured(-49.3%). Quarterly imports in this province fell by 33.6%, which was mainly caused by the drop in imports of Transport Material (-53.9%) and Metal and Manufactured (-58.2%).

Exports from Gipuzkoa fell by 25.7% in the third quarter of the year, which meant the growth rate for the first nine months of 2009 was very similar (- 23.4%). The duty tariff sectors that fell to the greatest extent in this quarter were: Metals and Manufactured (-56%) and Electrical Equipment (-25.4%), while Transport Equipment rose by 28.8%. The 37.6% decrease in imports occurred in Gipuzkoa, which was mainly due to the drop in Metals and Manufactured (-56.2%).



Source: Eustat

For further information:

Basque Statistics Office C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es Contact: Patxi Garrido Tlf:+34-945-01 75 13 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 Online press releases: www.eustat.es Databank: www.eustat.eus/bancopx/spanish/indice.aspx