International trade is an increasingly important component of the European economy. Since its early foundations were laid by the European Coal & Steel Community (ECSC) founded in 1951, trade between European member states has been at the core of the European project. International trade, that is, trade which the European Union does externally with countries who are not member states, has become a greater focus of the bloc in recent years, as the EU attempts to increase the global reach of its companies, while reaping the benefits of cheaper imports. The EU has put particular importance on reaching trade agreements with partners outside the union, as this removes trade barriers such as tariffs, quotas, as well as non-tariff barriers (such as regulations, licenses, and sanctions) which hamper trade activity. EU Trade Deals Recent trade agreements include the Comprehensive Economic & Trade Agreement with Canada (while not ratified by the member states' parliaments, it had been effectively in force since 2017) and the Japan-EU Economic partnership agreement, in force since 2019. The most significant regions which the EU has not concluded free trade agreements with are the United States, Russia, and China. The Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership (TTIP) between the U.S. and EU broke down at the negotiation stage, with powerful economic & political actors on the European side, such as trade unions, opposing the deal from the beginning, while the election of Donald Trump as President of the U.S. effectively ended any hopes of the deal being completed due to his "America First" trade policies. With the increasing geopolitical and economic competition between the U.S. and China, the EU now finds itself caught between the two superpowers, and is unlikely to be able to conclude a trade agreement with either without antagonizing the other country. EU trade with Russia, on the other hand, has broken down in light of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the subsequent sanctions imposed by the European member states.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Cuba was US$334.65 Thousand during 2023, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

The European Union's balance of trade in goods is driven by a few of its largest economies. Germany, the EU's pre-eminent economic power, has run a large trade surplus with countries outside the EU over the past two decades, with this surplus more than doubling after the global financial crisis and great recession. Italy also emerged as a large net exporter over the 2010s, along with Ireland, Sweden and France. On the other hand, the Netherlands has by far run the largest trade deficit with non-EU countries among the bloc. Other notable net goods importers among the EU member states include Spain and Poland.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Zambia was US$2.94 Thousand during 2019, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

Food and live animals were the main category of foreign trade between the European Union and the Andean Community in 2018. In total, 7.8 billion euros were traded in this segment, of which 7.2 billion euros were EU imports from this South American trade bloc. On the other hand, machinery and transport equipment were the most exported products from the European Union to the Andean Community, with a value of 5.1 billion euros that same year.

The foreign trade balance between the 27 European Union countries and Mercosur's full members (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) had been in favor of the EU between 2012 and 2021. Inter-regional trade between these two blocs went from Mercosur having a trade surplus of almost six billion euros in 2011 to a foreign trade balance in favor of the EU of over eight billion euros in 2013. In 2022, though, the EU imported around 7.5 billion euros more than it has exported to the Mercosur. But in 2023, the balance became positive again for the Europeans, amounting to nearly 1.9 billion euros.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Barbados was US$23.32 Thousand during 2023, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of panels, boards, tiles, blocks and similar articles to Liberia was US$12 Thousand during 2018, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade. European Union Exports of panels, boards, tiles, blocks and similar articles to Liberia - data, historical chart and statistics - was last updated on October of 2025.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Georgia was US$13.84 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Gambia was US$3.34 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Serbia was US$33.98 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Japan was US$44.23 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Turkmenistan was US$13.39 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Uzbekistan was US$343 during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Albania was US$10.49 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Yemen was US$16.41 Thousand during 2022, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Cape Verde was US$965 during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Algeria was US$639.98 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Australia was US$998.92 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.

European Union Exports of bricks, blocks, tiles and other ceramic goods of siliceous fossil meals to Kazakhstan was US$23.54 Thousand during 2024, according to the United Nations COMTRADE database on international trade.