Between January and July 2015, Bulgaria registered a negative balance of trade with the EU, which exceeded BGN 2.4 B.
This becomes clear from the latest figures of the National Statistical Institute (NSI), which were released on Friday.
In this period, the Bulgarian exports to the EU amounted to BGN 16.8 B, which represented an increase of 10.1 % compared to the same period in 2014.
The main trading partners of Bulgaria were Germany, Italy, Romania, Greece, France and Belgium, which accounted for 70.6 % of exports to EU member states.
In July, Bulgarian exports to the EU amounted to BGN 2.6 B, which represented a decrease of 0.5 % compared to the same month last year.
Between January and July, the Bulgarian imports from the EU increased by 8.5 % compared to the same period in 2014, amounting to BGN 19.2 B.
The greatest volume of goods was imported from Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain and Greece.
In July, Bulgarian imports from EU member states increased by 12.2 % compared to the same month last year, amounting to BGN 3.1 B.
In the first seven months of 2015, there was an increase in Bulgarian exports of unprocessed (raw) materials excluding fuels and chemical substances and products, while there was a drop in the export of soft and alcoholic drinks and tobacco.
In the same period, there was an increase of Bulgarian imports of soft and alcoholic drinks and tobacco and unprocessed (raw) materials, while there was a decrease in the imports of mineral fuels, oils and similar products.