Malta registered the EU's highest increase in imports during September, when compared to the same month in 2019, according to Eurostat data.
The statistics office's first estimate for the euro area, when it comes to exports of goods to the rest of the world in September of this year, stood at €190.3 billion. This means a decrease of 3.1 per cent when compared to September 2019.
Imports from the rest of the world stood at €165.5 billion, a fall of 7.1 per cent when compared to September 2019.
As a result, the euro area recorded a €24.8 billion surplus in trade in goods with the rest of the world.
Annual comparison
Sixteen countries registered a decrease in exports of goods in September 2020, when compared to the same month in 2019.
The largest decreases were registered in Greece (23 per cent) and Cyprus (20.0 per cent).
With regard to imports, in September 2020 all states recorded drops, with the exception of Latvia (1.2 per cent), Romania (5.1 per cent), Croatia (7.5 per cent) and Malta (9.9 per cent).