EU trade surplus falls more than 50% during second quarter 

Many companies frontload exports in the first quarter of the year in anticipation of US president Donald Trump's tariffs

The data covers the period in which the US imposed a tariff of 10% on EU goods. It has since been increased to 15%. Picture: David Creedon

After a surge in exports during the start of the year, the EU’s trade surplus fell over 50% between April and June as exports declined, new data from Eurostat shows.

Between April and June, the bloc’s exports and imports fell 3.4% and 7.1% respectively compared to the first quarter.