International Trade.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005

Wednesday, 26 January 2005

Questions (78, 79)

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

142 Mr. Durkan asked the Taoiseach the trading partners with whom Ireland has achieved the best record in terms of exports in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33993/04]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

143 Mr. Durkan asked the Taoiseach the countries from which Ireland has imported most in the past 12 months and the countries which have shown the growth in this area in the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33994/04]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 143 together.

Tables 1, exports, and 3, imports, respectively, compare Ireland's main trading partners for the nine month period January to September 2004 with the corresponding period for 2003 — September 2004 is the latest month for which data are available.

Tables 2, exports, and 4, imports, similarly compare the full year 2003 to 2002. In all tables the top 30 trading partners have been identified together with the respective period percentage changes.

Export trading partners — Table 1.

Country of destination	Jan-Sep 2003	Jan-Sep 2004	Period % change
	€(000)	€(000)
United States	12,744,065	12,560,750	-1.4
Great Britain	9,920,176	9,889,607	-0.3
Belgium	7,674,530	9,529,492	24.2
Germany	5,006,335	4,688,359	-6.4
France	3,669,316	3,667,884	-0.0
Italy	2,547,035	2,807,165	10.2
Netherlands	2,986,770	2,733,806	-8.5
Switzerland	1,893,528	2,144,837	13.3
Spain	1,745,406	1,752,342	0.4
Japan	1,528,104	1,734,704	13.5
Northern Ireland	1,066,228	1,088,778	2.1
Sweden	740,691	697,598	-5.8
Hong Kong	504,825	656,483	30.0
Singapore	541,276	635,301	17.4
Australia	480,964	538,573	12.0
China	410,226	455,896	11.1
South Korea	389,801	442,136	13.4
Norway	410,558	356,985	-13.0
Denmark	358,122	351,773	-1.8
Malaysia	424,522	328,523	-22.6
Mexico	441,018	313,634	-28.9
Portugal	218,282	249,538	14.3
Austria	236,123	248,059	5.1
Canada	306,714	247,343	-19.4
Taiwan	220,060	245,528	11.6
Greece	235,796	243,563	3.3
Turkey	245,541	223,173	-9.1
Finland	206,423	217,496	5.4
Saudi Arabia	220,122	197,263	-10.4

Export trading partners — Table 2.

Country of destination	Year 2002	Year 2003	Year on year % Change
	€(000)	€(000)
United States	16,509,438	16,939,245	2.6
Great Britain	20,853,065	13,427,189	-35.6
Belgium	13,547,073	10,334,321	-23.7
Germany	6,729,140	6,803,989	1.1
France	4,685,440	5,013,505	7.0
Netherlands	3,493,468	4,181,352	19.7
Italy	3,597,067	3,749,807	4.2
Switzerland	3,103,770	2,603,265	-16.1
Spain	2,239,681	2,353,668	5.1
Japan	2,630,798	2,109,434	-19.8
Northern Ireland	1,610,716	1,409,013	-12.5
Sweden	1,202,085	1,159,286	-3.6
Singapore	739,310	734,246	-0.7
Hong Kong	534,074	688,304	28.9
Australia	636,070	647,646	1.8
China	538,662	584,978	8.6
Malaysia	765,941	578,068	-24.5
Norway	517,204	530,137	2.5
Mexico	456,560	518,544	13.6
South Korea	640,367	509,585	-20.4
Denmark	545,302	501,851	-8.0
Canada	510,896	469,287	-8.1
Austria	334,916	329,057	-1.7
Greece	329,898	312,165	-5.4
Portugal	362,144	309,744	-14.5
Turkey	327,777	303,848	-7.3
Finland	302,982	292,846	-3.3
Taiwan	345,974	285,561	-17.5
Saudi Arabia	365,110	273,558	-25.1
Philippines	342,688	208,010	-39.3

Import trading partners — Table 3.

Country of origin	Jan-Sep 2003	Jan-Sep 2004	Period % change
	€(000)	€(000)
Great Britain	9,908,961	10,259,825	3.5
United States	5,339,722	5,178,843	-3.0
Germany	2,555,892	2,765,848	8.2
China	1,534,019	2,037,768	32.8
France	1,368,854	1,650,515	20.6
Japan	1,732,338	1,575,995	-9.0
Netherlands	1,257,554	1,376,856	9.5
Northern Ireland	766,312	816,107	6.5
Italy	809,144	798,315	-1.3
South Korea	541,090	694,387	28.3
Taiwan	567,269	684,466	20.7
Singapore	745,194	676,596	-9.2
Belgium	574,873	668,763	16.3
Norway	561,870	666,505	18.6
Denmark	598,629	524,928	-12.3
Spain	437,368	469,154	7.3
Switzerland	373,176	422,066	13.1
Sweden	323,313	393,422	21.7
Hong Kong	280,799	318,670	13.5
Malaysia	347,370	313,678	-9.7
Thailand	232,702	265,544	14.1
Turkey	214,175	233,033	8.8
Canada	335,748	204,897	-39.0
Brazil	167,870	186,133	10.9
Finland	201,022	174,124	-13.4
Hungary	79,497	159,991	101.3
Portugal	128,565	140,840	9.5
South Africa	116,287	124,676	7.2
Mexico	173,564	114,474	-34.0
India	104,040	109,007	4.8

Import trading partners — Table 4

Country of origin	Year 2002	Year 2003	Year on year % Change
	€(000)	€(000)
Great Britain	19,083,893	13,659,298	-28.4
United States	8,517,747	7,416,172	-12.9
Germany	3,564,277	3,493,771	-2.0
Japan	1,840,254	2,296,562	24.8
China	1,495,131	2,215,503	48.2
France	2,265,235	1,912,216	-15.6
Netherlands	1,858,790	1,678,649	-9.7
Italy	1,098,554	1,070,404	-2.6
Northern Ireland	1,036,313	1,042,511	0.6
Singapore	1,005,572	1,039,057	3.3
Denmark	694,096	816,038	17.6
Taiwan	999,128	787,897	-21.1
Belgium	788,365	750,522	-4.8
Norway	721,803	749,116	3.8
South Korea	889,531	733,411	-17.6
Spain	676,895	665,260	-1.7
Switzerland	616,648	487,462	-20.9
Malaysia	675,442	468,801	-30.6
Canada	423,825	452,442	6.8
Sweden	421,363	447,657	6.2
Hong Kong	498,309	382,250	-23.3
Thailand	283,091	334,944	18.3
Finland	728,582	263,710	-63.8
Turkey	226,532	262,225	15.8
Brazil	159,348	221,474	39.0
Mexico	249,637	209,284	-16.2
Philippines	353,279	181,851	-48.5
Portugal	170,286	179,304	5.3
Hungary	182,279	163,456	-10.3
Austria	206,445	163,058	-21.0