Press release 21/11/2019
Total exports of goods from the Basque Country grew by 1.3% in September 2019
In the first nine months of 2019 as a whole, exports were down 1.3% although there was a positive trade balance of close to 3,729 million euros
In September 2019 there was a 1.3% rise in exports of goods from the Basque Country, in year-on-year terms, according to EUSTAT data. They totalled 2,134 million euros compared to 2,107 million in the same month of the previous year. Exports of Energy products increased by 37.1% and exports of Non-energy product decreased by 2.0%.
Bizkaia is the province that registered the best performance, with an increase in exports of 10.0%; in Gipuzkoa exports decreased by 2.9%, and in Álava they were down 4.4%.
Imports of goods to the Basque Country experienced a drop of 9.1%, with a total of almost 1,628 million euros. Energy imports were up 4.1%, and Non-energy imports were down 13.2%.
At provincial level, in Gipuzkoa imports grew by 3.0%, in Bizkaia they were down 11.1%, and in Álava they fell by 14.4%.
Analysing exports by branches of activity (A86), there were decreases in the two largest: exports of Motor vehicles fell by 8.9% and General Use Machinery by 20.4%. On the other hand, there was a notable increase in the traditionally important activity branch of Coke Plants & Oil Refining (50.1%). However, of even greater significance was the growth in Other transport material, which reached 116.5%.
A more detailed look reveals that in September the ten main customs duty groups accounted for 47.5% of exports, with a combined value of 1,013.4 million euros. The following groups particularly stood out: Passenger cars with fewer than 10 seats (2.3%); Refined Petroleum Oils (66.9%); Vehicle Parts and Accessories (-8.1%); Diesel and electric motor units for railway tracks and motorised trams (285.6%); Goods transport vehicles (-26.4%); and New rubber tyres (-2.4%). As can be observed in these figures, there is a significant disparity in comparison to the previous year.
This month five countries (Germany, France, United Kingdom, United States, and Belgium) are our main clients, absorbing 54.7% of total exports from the Basque Country. Four of them belong to the EU-28, an entity that with 1,538.7 million exported accounts for 72.1% of our exports.
Analysing imports by branches of activity (A86), it can be observed that the largest, Extraction and Petroleum Industries (27.2% of the total) saw an increase of 5.9% compared to the same month of the previous year. However, the subsequent groups in terms of size experienced decreases, as was the case for Iron and Steel products (-26.4%), Motor vehicles (-19.6%), and General Use Machinery (-1.4%).
ACCUMULATED FIGURES FOR THE FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 2019
Foreign trade in goods from the Basque Country during the first nine months of 2019 had a positive balance of 3,728.5 million euros
For the first nine months as a whole, and for exports from the Basque Country, a decrease of 1.3% was registered compared to the same period of the previous year, which translated into a fall of 240.2 million euros.
Exports from Bizkaia, with an accumulated total of 7,171.5 million euros, dropped by 7.3%. In Álava, the decrease was similar, standing at 7.2%. In Gipuzkoa, however, there was a rise of 13.3%.
Taking into account the type of product, the aforementioned decrease was concentrated in Energy Products, with a drop of 311.5 million euros.
Six branches of activity accounted for 64.3% of exports, with variable performance; whilst there was an increase in General use machinery (1.8%) and Other transport material (120.5%), there was a decrease in Motor vehicles (4,342.7 million euros and 23.0% of the total), which fell by 10.7%, Iron & Steel Products (-8.1%), Metal Products (-4.8%), and Coke Plants & Oil Refining (-22.0%).
The export ranking situated France as the prime receiver country of Basque exports, with 15.7% of the total exported. After France came Germany (15.6%), the United Kingdom (9.3%) and the United States (6.9%). Between them, these four countries accounted for 47.5% of Basque exports.
Accumulated imports for the Basque Country as a whole during the period in question amounted to 15,146.9 million euros. Comparing this figure in year-on-year terms we see that it represents 119.5 million more than that registered in the same period of 2018. Gipuzkoa made the highest contribution to this increase in imports, providing 252.9 million euros to the total.
Imports of Energy Products fell by 2.9% and those of Non-energy Products rose by 2.2%.
Foreign trade in goods in the Basque Country during the first nine months of 2019 had a positive balance of 3,728.5 million euros, 359.7 million less than that registered during the same period of the previous year, which represents a coverage rate of 124.6%. This rate is over 100 (exports exceed imports) for nearly all EU-28 countries, except in the cases of Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden and Finland.
THE AERONAUTIC SECTOR IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY
In 2018, the “aeronautic” sector, which is included in chapter 88 of EUROSTAT’s combined nomenclature and is listed under the classification of “aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof” accounted for 0.64% of total Basque exports, with an export value of 163.3 million euros.
These exports have exceeded 127 million euros in 2019 so far, maintaining a pattern that since 1998 has been above 100 million euros, which is an average of 0.95% of the total exported
Not only do we export, we also import aeronautical goods, however since our records began the balance has always been positive and in the previous tax year it stood at 113.3 million euros. This sector accounted for 0.25% of imports and, as we have already indicated, 0.95% of exports.
Analysing exports at their maximum level of disaggregation, they have always been concentrated on three products:
Parts of aeroplanes and helicopters excluding rotors, landing gear and their parts, represented almost 90% of exports in this sector. In 2018 142.4 million euros were exported, and from January to September 2019, this figure has already reached 117.2 million. From 1990 to September 2019, exports of this product total 3,851.9 million euros.
Second position in the sector is historically occupied by other parts of aircraft, with an average weight of 9.8% since 1990. In the last year this percentage stood at 12% giving a value in euros of 19.7 million. Since September 2019 they have reached 9.8 million. The accumulated total since 1990 is 429.1 million.
Parts of communications satellites account for barely 0.2% of the sector. They accounted for 1.2 million euros in 2018 and in 2019 have reached 99 thousand euros. Their accumulated total is only 8.7 million euros.
Within this sector there are also imports that correspond to the products mentioned for exports and with the same degree of relevance; thus, during 2018 imports of the first product totalled 43.2 million euros, of the second 5.6 million and of the third, 0.4 million.
Para más información:
Eustat - Euskal Estatistika Erakundea / Instituto Vasco de Estadística
C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz
Servicio de Prensa: servicioprensa@eustat.eus Tlf: 945 01 75 62