External Trade - April 2013

In April 2013, according to preliminary data of ‘cross−border statistics’, exports and imports at current prices increased by 6.4% and 1.3%, year-on-year (y−o−y), respectively. The trade balance ended in a surplus of CZK 33.0 bn, which was by CZK 13,0 bn higher compared to April 2012.

According to preliminary data of ‘corss−border statistics’, seasonally adjusted exports and imports grew by 3.7% and by 0.9% respectively compared to March 2013. The development trend shows increasing exports (+1.8%) and imports (+0.5%).

Year−on−year, exports and imports at current prices went up by 6.4% (CZK +16.0 bn) and 1.3% (CZK +3.0 bn) respectively. Exports of entities seated in the Czech Republic were higher by 6.1% (CZK +11.8 bn) and entities seated outside the Czech Republic grew by 7.5% (CZK +4.2 bn). Imports of entities seated in the Czech Republic increased by 3.4% (CZK +6.5 bn) while imports of entities seated outside the Czech Republic decreased by 8.9% (CZK +3.5 bn).

Expressed in terms of euro, exports grew by 2.1% while imports dropped by 2.8%. In US dollars exports were by 1.1% higher and import fell by 3.7% y−o−y.

In April, the trade balance ended in a surplus of CZK 33.0 bn which was by CZK 13.0 bn higher y−o−y. The balance of trade of entities seated in the Czech Republic showed a surplus of CZK 9.1 bn (against a surplus of CZK 3.8 bn in April 2012), the trade balance of entities not seated in the Czech Republic recorded a surplus of CZK 24.0 bn (compared to a surplus of CZK 16.2 bn in April 2012).

Y−o−y, surplus grew in ‘machinery and transport equipment’ (by CZK 12.6 bn), ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (by CZK 2.4 bn), ‘manufactured goods classified chiefly by material’ (by CZK 2.2 bn) and ‘beverages and tobacco’ (by CZK 0.2 bn). On the other hand, deficit deepened in ‘chemicals and related products’ (by CZK 1.9 bn), ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials’ (by CZK 1.0 bn) and ‘food and live animals’ (by CZK 0.4 bn).‘Crude materials, inedible, except fuels’ recorded a decrease of surplus (by CZK 0.5 bn).

Total 'machinery and transport equipment' exports grew by 4.9% (CZK +6.8 bn). Exports increased mainly in ‘electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances’ (CZK +2.9 bn), ‘general industrial machinery and equipment’ (CZK +2.7 bn) and ‘road vehicles’ (CZK +1.2 bn). Total 'machinery and transport equipment' imports were by 5.9% (CZK −5.8 bn) lower, y−o−y, of which the largest decreases were recorded in ‘office machines, automatic data−processing machines’ (CZK −5.9 bn and CZK) and ‘other transport equipment’ (CZK −1.8 bn). Imports of ‘electrical machinery, apparatus and appliances’ grew (by CZK +1.1 bn). Imports of ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials’ dropped by 1.2% (CZK −0.3 bn), y−o−y. Imports of crude petroleum declined by 7.8% in value and by 4.6% in volume. Imports of natural gas were higher by 14.5% in value and by 9.7% in volume.

The trade balance with EU Member States ended in a surplus of CZK 64.4 bn, which was by CZK 6.2 bn higher, y−o−y. Deficit of trade with non-EU countries decreased by CZK 6.6 bn to CZK 30.8 bn. Deficit shrank in trade with China (by CZK 4.2 bn) and the Russian Federation (by CZK 1.7 bn). Surplus rose in trade with Germany (by CZK 3.4 bn), Austria (by CZK 1.8 bn), Turkey (by CZK 1.1 bn) and Slovakia (by CZK 0.2 bn). Balance deteriorated in trade with the Netherlands (by CZK 1.7 bn) as a surplus turned into a deficit.

In January−April 2013, exports and imports fell by 2.0% and 3.8% respectively. The trade balance surplus amounting to CZK 128.7 billion was up by CZK 14.0 billion y-o-y. The trade balance improved mainly in ‘miscellaneous manufactured articles’ (surplus up by CZK 5.2), ‘machinery and transport equipment’ (surplus up by CZK 4.9 bn) and ‘mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials’ (deficit down by CZK 3.3 bn).

The trade balance in national concept (methodology of balance of payments) reflecting performance of the Czech economy showed a surplus of CZK 12.9 bn in April 2013. The data on exports and imports of goods, calculated by using the VAT data according to this concept, are available in Table 8 and in the time series External trade in goods according to change of ownership (national concept).


Notes:
According to the CZSO sources data were obtained from 98.5% of companies (for goods dispatched) and 98.3% of companies (for goods arrived) obliged to report to the Intrastat system. Data for companies, exempted from the reporting duty, in accordance with the amended Decree No. 201/2005 Sb., and for companies that failed to report, have been imputed. The imputation methods are based on data of trade implemented that the companies reported in the previous period and data given in the VAT return forms.
The data for individual months of 2011 are final; the data for individual months of 2012 and 2013 are preliminary. Preliminary data of the reference month are released together with updated data of the previous three months. All data are processed from basic reporting units and subsequently rounded.
After the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union, two systems of data collection are used as a source on external trade statistics in cross-border conception (cross−border statistics). Extrastat records data on trade with the non-EU countries and uses some data from Single Administrative Documents. Intrastat collects data on movement of goods within the European Union for entities that are obliged to provide Intra stat data. According to legal regulations of the European Communities, entities registered for Value Added Tax have a duty to provide data for Intrastat regardless of the fact, whether an entity is or is not seated in the Czech Republic (resident or non-resident). Detailed information is available in external trade methodology: /whatisexternal_trade
Responsible manager of the CZSO: Ing. Marek Rojíček, Ph.D., Director of Macroeconomic Statistics Branch, phone (+420) 274 052 486 , E-mail: marek.rojicek@csu.gov.cz
Contact: Karel Král, Director of External Trade Statistics Department, phone (+420) 274 052 161, E-mail: karel.kral@csu.gov.cz
Method of data collection: Intrastat forms and Single administrative documents.
End of data collection: 20 ^th working day after the end of the reference month
Documents available on the CZSO website: w-6001-13 External Trade of the Czech Republic –detailed breakdown (periodicity: monthly): /produkty/external-trade-of-the-czech-republic-december-2013-gaipctvf7d
External Trade Database: http://apl.czso.cz/pll/stazo/STAZO.STAZO?jazyk=EN
Next News Release: July 8, 2013

This press release was not edited for language.