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FACTBOX-Facts and Figures on EU-Africa trade

06 Dec 2007 16:11:34 GMT
Source: Reuters

Dec 6 (Reuters) - Tensions over trade talks could overshadow a summit of European and African leaders this weekend in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, testing the EU's plans for a new era in its ties with Africa, where it now competes with China.

Pressed by China's growing investment and influence in Africa, EU leaders hope to reinforce those ties by improving cooperation on several fronts and moving away from dependence-inducing aid.

Here are some key facts on EU and China trade in Africa:

* QUICK FACTS:

-- The EU is Africa's largest trading partner, with trade totalling more than 215 billion euros ($315.2 billion) in 2006.

--The EU imports more than it exports, except in the case of South Africa and has a trade deficit of 35 billion euro in 2006.

-- Africa accounts for nine percent of EU imports and eight percent of exports.

-- Between 2000 and 2006, EU exports of goods to Africa rose from 66 billion euro to 92 billion, while imports increased from 85 billion to 126 billion.

* EU TRADE PARTNERS OF AFRICA:

-- Italy and France are the main EU trade partners of Africa. France at 21 billion euro, or 23 percent of the total, was the largest exporter to Africa in 2006, followed by Germany with 16 billion or 18 percent.

-- Italy's exports were worth 13 billion euro however Italy was the largest importer at 31 billion or 25 percent, followed by Spain with 21 billion and France with 20 billion.

-- The largest surpluses in trade with Africa were recorded by Sweden +2 billion euro, France and Finland +1 billion each. The highest deficits were registered by Italy, -19 billion euro, Spain -14 billion and the United Kingdom -5 bn.

* AFRICAN TRADE PARTNERS OF THE EU:

-- South Africa, Algeria and Libya are main African trade partners of the EU.

-- Among the African countries, South Africa (20 billion euro, or 22 percent of the total, was the leading destination for EU exports in 2006, followed by Morocco and Algeria, both 10 billion or 11 percent.

-- The leading source of EU imports from Africa was Libya with 26 billion euro or 21 percent, followed by Algeria with 24 billion and South Africa at 19 billion or 15 percent.

-- The largest EU surpluses in trade with Africa were recorded with Morocco +3 bn, South Africa, Egypt, Sudan, Senegal and Tunisia with all between +1 billion and +1.5 billion and the highest deficits with Libya -22 bn, Algeria -14 billion and Nigeria -4 bn.

* TRADING TYPES:

-- Nearly half of EU exports to Africa in 2006 were machinery and vehicles, and a further quarter were other manufactured articles.

-- Energy accounted for just over half of imports. The main EU exports to Africa were mobile phones, medicine and motor cars, while the main imports were oil and gas, diamonds and cocoa beans.

* CHINA'S TRADE WITH AFRICA:

-- Resource-hungry China leapt into third trading place in 2006 with 43 billion euros of trade and has massivley stepped up investments.

-- China's total trade with Africa in the first ten months of 2007, increased 30.3 percent from a year earlier.

Sources: Reuters/Eurostat-http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat: (for related story click on [ID:nL03356402] (Writing by David Cutler and Ingrid Melander, London Editorial Reference Unit)

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Last updated:Thu Dec 6 16:10:29 2007