LUXEMBOURG / RankWire.AI / – The European Union recorded a €21.8 billion goods trade deficit in the second quarter of 2026. It was the bloc’s first quarterly deficit since the same period of 2023. Imports from outside the EU reached €701.8 billion, while exports totaled €680.0 billion. The result reversed a €6.7 billion surplus in the first quarter. Eurostat data showed that imports increased far faster than exports between April and June. The figures marked a clear shift in the EU goods trade balance.
Imports rose 9.9% from the previous quarter, adding €63.4 billion to the total. Exports increased 5.4%, or €34.9 billion, during the same three-month period. The difference between those growth rates pushed the quarterly balance into deficit. Energy products accounted for the largest shortfall among major goods categories. The EU energy deficit climbed to €101.1 billion in the second quarter. It had stood at €71.3 billion during the first three months of the year.
Other categories also contributed to the wider goods deficit. The raw materials gap increased to €9.4 billion from €7.9 billion in the first quarter. Other manufactured goods posted a €9.1 billion deficit. Machinery and vehicles remained in surplus, but that balance narrowed to €23.2 billion. Chemicals continued to produce the largest positive balance among major product groups. Their surplus rose to €54.0 billion from €47.1 billion during the previous quarter.
Energy gap drives quarterly reversal
Food and drinks also remained in surplus during the second quarter. That category produced an €11.5 billion surplus, compared with €10.7 billion in the first quarter. Other goods recorded a €9.1 billion surplus, down from €11.6 billion previously. These gains did not offset the sharp deficit in energy trade. The European Union therefore ended the quarter with imports exceeding exports by €21.8 billion. The result ended a run of quarterly goods surpluses that had lasted since 2023.
Monthly trade data showed a different balance at the end of the quarter. The EU posted a €3.9 billion goods surplus in June. Exports reached €241.5 billion that month, while imports totaled €237.7 billion on a non-seasonally adjusted basis. For the first six months of 2026, however, the bloc recorded a €14.9 billion deficit. That compared with a €74.1 billion surplus in the first half of 2025, according to Eurostat.
Trade with major partners shapes overall balance
The United States and China remained major parts of the EU’s external goods trade in June. EU exports to the United States reached €45.7 billion, while imports totaled €34.5 billion. That left the bloc with an €11.2 billion monthly surplus in goods trade with the United States. Trade with China produced a much larger deficit. EU exports to China totaled €18.8 billion, while imports reached €53.9 billion. The resulting monthly shortfall stood at €35.1 billion.
Trade among EU member states also expanded during the first half of 2026. Intra-EU goods trade reached €2.20 trillion from January through June, up 5.7% from a year earlier. Member states provide the national trade data used to compile the European totals. The quarterly figures show how higher external imports changed the bloc’s overall goods balance during the period. The €21.8 billion second-quarter deficit remains the EU’s first quarterly goods trade shortfall since April through June 2023.