The EU imported €701.8 billion worth of goods from non-EU countries and exported €680.0 billion in the second quarter of 2026.
Imports rose by 9.9% and exports by 5.4% compared with the previous quarter, Eurostat reported on Wednesday.
Compared with the same period in 2025, imports increased by 11.7% and exports by 4.5%.
China was the EU’s largest supplier in the quarter, accounting for €153.6 billion — 21.9% of all imports — while the United States was second at €98.7 billion (14.1%).
The UK followed with €43.4 billion (6.2%), ahead of Switzerland (€36.9 billion; 5.3%) and Turkey (€25.5 billion; 3.6%).
Imports from the United States rose by 11.5% compared with the second quarter of 2025, while imports from the UK increased by 8.8% and those from China by 7.9%.
Imports from Switzerland edged up by 2.1%, while those from Turkey fell by 0.6%.
US leads as export destination
The United States was the EU’s biggest export destination in the second quarter, with €127.7 billion of goods shipped there, representing 18.8% of all exports, Eurostat said.
The UK was second at €92.7 billion (13.6%), followed by Switzerland (€60.5 billion; 8.9%), China (€50.3 billion; 7.4%) and Turkey (€27.3 billion; 4.0%).
Exports to Switzerland rose by 16.1% compared with the same quarter a year earlier, while exports to the UK increased by 5.6% and those to China by 2.8%.
Exports to the United States fell by 5.6% and those to Turkey by 4.9%, it added.
