The 2.5 percent reduction in exports was mainly due to the extra-EU market, which shrank 19.7 percent after already having fallen 15.1 percent in March.

Exports to within the EU, on the other hand, increased by 4.0 percent in April and 0.5 percent in March.

Imports were 7.3 percent down in April “mainly because of imports from outside the EU (-23.7 percent , compared with +1.1 percent in March).