Exports from the EU to the United States fell by 30.4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026.
The EU imported €627.8 billion worth of goods from non-EU countries and exported €640.5 billion in the first three months of 2026, Eurostat reported on Thursday.
Compared with the previous quarter, imports rose 1.7% while exports slipped 0.1%.
Both flows were lower than a year earlier, with imports down 3.3% and exports down 8.8% compared with the first quarter of 2025.
China was the EU’s largest supplier in the quarter, with €145.3 billion of goods — 23.1% of all EU imports from non-EU countries — followed by the United States at €85.9 billion (13.7%) and the United Kingdom at €39.5 billion (6.3).
Switzerland accounted for €36.7 billion (5.8%) and Turkey for €24.6 billion (3.9%).
Imports from Turkey fell 7.5% compared with the same period a year earlier, while imports from the United States dropped 5.7% and imports from the United Kingdom declined 3.4%.
US still top export destination despite sharper drop
The United States remained the EU’s biggest export destination, with €119.4 billion of goods shipped there in the first quarter of 2026 — 18.6% of all EU exports — Eurostat said.
The United Kingdom was second with €88.7 billion (13.8%), followed by Switzerland at €57.2 billion (8.9%), China at €47.6 billion (7.4%) and Turkey at €27.1 billion (4.2%).
Exports saw their steepest year-on-year falls to the United States (-30.4%), Turkey (-8.2%) and China (-7.9%).
