EU countries remain Algeria’s main trading partners

Nearly 60% of Algeria’s trade, ??during the first quarter of 2014, were made with the countries of the European Union (EU) which remain its "major partners," the Algerian customs said. During the same period, Algeria’s total trading activities reached US$30.26 billion, $18.07 billion among them with the EU countries, i.e. 59.72%, the Customs’ National Data Processing and Statistics Centre (CNIS). The Algerian imports from the EU reached US$7.14 billion during the first quarter of 2014, counting for 51.60% of total imports of the country, while Algerian exports to these countries were 10.93 billion dollars, representing 66.55% of total exports of the country, which over 95% of them are constituted of hydrocarbons and derivatives, according to the Customs. Compared to the same period of past year, Algeria’s imports and exports to the EU economic community fell, respectively, 7.87% and 5.06%, indicate the center preliminary figures, obtained by APS. Spain, first customer, China, first supplier Apart from China and the United States of America that are respectively are the first and sixth supplier of Algeria, its biggest foreign trade is made with the EU. In the first quarter of 2014, Spain came ahead of Italy, positioning itself as Algeria’s first customer absorbing nearly US$2.25 billion (13.68%) of its exports. Italy came second with 2.18 billion dollars (13.31%), followed by France with $1.96 billion (11.97%), Great Britain with $1.61 billion (9.82%) and finally the Netherlands with $1.52 billion, nearly 9.3%. Regarding Algeria’s suppliers, China continues to top the ranking with $1.87 billion (13.52%), France with over $US1.67 billion (12.11%), followed by Italy with US$1.26 billion (9.15%), Spain with US$1.21 billion (8.78%), and Germany with $810 million, i.e. 5.86%, the same source added. Imports from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Countries, outside the EU, are US$2.01 billion, or 14.52%, up 26.75%. Algeria's exports to these countries totaled nearly US$2.49 billion, or 15.15% of Algeria's total foreign sales, falling by over 32% during the first quarter of 2014 compared to the same period of past year.