The EU's trade continues to be squeezed by American tariffs and international competition.

The data released on Friday shows that the European Union's trade surplus continues to narrow exports to the US are hindered by tariffs, while international imports are increasing, squeezing domestic production and highlighting the survival threat to the EU economic model. In December, the EU's trade surplus decreased from 13.9 billion euros to 12.9 billion euros compared to the same period last year. The export growth engine of many years sales of machinery and automobiles continued to decline, as did sales of chemicals. Exports to the EU's largest export market, the US, plummeted by 12.6% year-on-year, dragging the surplus down by a third to 9.3 billion euros. Since the US announced a series of tariffs in early 2025, export data has continued to fluctuate, but excluding the volatility, the trend shows a significant decrease in sales price increases have forced US importers to reduce purchases or turn to other countries for purchases.