The eurozone’s foreign trade surplus rose to 24 billion euros in February after a surplus of 1 billion euros in January, according to European statistics agency Eurostat.
Analysts polled by Trading Economics predicted a surplus of 15.1 billion euros in February.
At the same time, exports of goods from the eurozone in February rose by 6.2 per cent year-on-year to 248.7 billion euros, while imports increased by 5.7 per cent to 224.7 billion.
The European Union posted a trade surplus of 23 billion euros in February after a deficit of 5.4 billion euros a month earlier. Exports of goods from the EU in February rose in annual terms by 7 per cent to 225.4 billion euros, while imports rose by 7.2 per cent to 202.4 billion.
Eurostat data released on Wednesday also showed exports from the European Union to the United States surged 22.4 per cent year-on-year in February to 51.8 billion euros, the fastest growth in 13 months. Imports from the US rose 2.4 per cent to €28.2bn, leading to a €23bn EU trade surplus in February.
