More BELGIUM info
The BLEU's exports to the American continent, whose share of our export trade is 6.0 %, were up by 8.5 % overall and the most noteworthy fact is the recovery of our exports to the USA (+ 16.0 %).
The Top 10 of Products exported (1997)
Transport equipment : 14.95 %
Machinery & appliances : 13.42 %
Chemical & Pharmaceutical products : 13.39 %
Base metals & articles of base metal : 9.45 %
Plastics & Rubber : 8.20 %
Diamonds & Precious stones : 7.37 %
Textiles & textile articles : 6.11 %
Food industry : 4.56 %
Mineral products : 3.79 %
Animal products : 2.99 %
Did you know that the BLEU is the
11th biggest world exporter & 10th biggest world importer
10th biggest OECD exporter & importer
6th biggest EU exporter & importer
And also that the BLEU is the
world's leading exporter of - raw & cut diamonds
- synthetic carpets
- margarine & vegetable ...
- textile fibres (autre que coton & jute)
world's second biggest exporter of - zinc
- chocolate & choc. products
- non-alcoholic beverages
world's third biggest exporter of - eggs
- iron & steel (in primary form)
world's fourth biggest exporter of - milk
- cream & butter
- pigments & paints
- soap, cleaning & polishing
preparations
- glass
- cars
world's fifth biggest exporter of - beer
- prepared meat products
- cereal preparations
- sugar candies
- pesticides
- desinfectants
- iron & steelwire
- lead
world's sixth biggest exporter of - cheese
- meat
- vegetables
- photographic & cinematographic
supplies
- refined petroleum products
- building products
- agricultural machinery (excluding tractors)
- medical instruments & appliances
- printed matter
RECENT DEVELOPMENT of the BELGIAN EXPORTS
3 MONTHS 1998
Preliminary note :
Since 1995, the foreign trade statistics produced by the Bank of Belgium (BNB) on behalf of the National Accounts Institute (ICN) had covered the BELGIUM-LUXEMBOURG ECONOMIC UNION (BLEU) and had been compiled according to national definitions.
In 1998, ICN changed these publication principles to match user requirements more closely.
The results published henceforth cover BELGIUM only and are compiled according to Community definitions.
This is mainly in response to the increased need for statistics on Belgium's foreign trade, for incorporation into the national accounts and into the balance of payments on current account.
Use of Community definitions rather than national definitions ensures the comparability of the results with those disseminated by EUROSTAT for all the Member States.
The difference between the definitions lies in the following points:
The national definition excludes release for free circulation in Belgium of goods coming from countries outside the EU, followed by forwarding to other Member States, whereas the Community definition includes such movements.
The national definition excludes intra-Community imports, followed by extra-Community exports, recorded in Belgium on behalf of exporting firms based in another Member State, whereas the Community definition includes them.
The BLEU's foreign trade statistics do not take account of bilateral trade with the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, whereas Belgium's foreign trade records it.
The BLEU's statistics incorporate the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg's movements to other countries than Belgium, whereas the Belgian statistics exclude them.
The effect of inclusion of these movements is to increase flows of imports and exports alike, without impinging on the trade balance to any great extent, given the low value-added level of these movements.
Belgian exports in 1998 over 3 months, compared with 1997 (in USD billions)
( Average value : 1 USD = 37,66 BEF )
Year Exports Imports Balance % Cover
1997 39.4 36.2 3.3 108.99
1998 43.9 40.1 3.8 109.39
Variation 98 / 97 11.3 % 10.9 % - -
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Geographical breakdown of the exports ( 3 months 1998 )
1998 % Total
EUROPE 36.13 82.38
ASIA 3.50 7.98
AMERICA 2.97 6.77
AFRICA 0.88 2.01
OCEANIA 0.18 0.41
Miscellaneous 0.20 0.46
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Sectoral breakdown of the exports over 3 months ( in USD billions )
Sector 1998 % Total
Chemicals & pharmaceutical products 6.7 15.17
Machinery & appliances 6.3 14.47
Transport equipment 6.1 13.83
Base metals 4.3 9.72
Plastics 3.9 8.88
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