TIRANA: Made in Albania exports to the European Union (EU) countries continued to maintain the upward trend during the first seven months of 2017, according to data published Thursday by Albanian institute of statistics (INSTAT). According to INSTAT’s report on foreign trade, the value of Albanian exports in the seven-month period was 158 billion leks (1.4 billion U.S. dollars), increasing by 12.9 percent, compared to same period of a year ago. Meantime, the value of imports was 350 billion leks (3.1 billion U.S. dollars), up 6.3 percent, while the trade deficit was 192 billion leks, up 1.4 percent compared with the same period last year.
Albania’s trade exchanges with the EU countries occupy 66.9 percent of all the country’s trade exchanges during the period, statistics showed. On monthly basis, INSTAT said that in July, exported goods amounted to 25 billion leks, increasing by 9.7 percent compared to the same period a year ago and 9.4 percent compared to June 2017. Meanwhile, imported goods amounted to 55 billion leks in July, registering an increase by 9.2 percent compared to a year ago. During the first seven month, the countries with which Albania recorded the highest increase of exports as compared to last year are Italy and Spain.
