Bulgaria reports falling trade with non-EU countries

Bulgaria's exports to and imports from the non-European Union (EU) countries decreased by 10.6 percent and 9.8 percent year on year, respectively, in the first 10 months, official data revealed on Monday.

Exports to the non-EU countries amounted to 11.97 billion lev (6.47 billion U.S. dollars) during the Jan.-Oct. period, according to data released by the National Statistical Institute (NSI).

Main trade partners of Bulgaria were Turkey, Macedonia, Serbia, China, Russia and the United States, which accounted for 49.2 percent of the exports to non-EU countries, the NSI said.

In the first ten months, the largest growth in the exports of Bulgaria to non-EU countries was recorded in miscellaneous manufactured articles (29.9 percent), while the most notable fall was reported in beverages and tobacco (24.5 percent).

Meanwhile, Bulgarian imports from the non-EU countries reached 13.91 billion lev, with the largest amounts reported for the goods imported from Russia, Turkey, China and Ukraine, the NSI said.

China, in particular, was Bulgaria's fourth largest export destination outside the EU, and the third largest non-EU importer to the Balkan country. (1 U.S. dollar is equal to 1.85 Bulgarian lev) Endit