Foreign trade and import prices

In April 2020 seasonally-adjusted data, compared to March 2020, decreased by 34.9% for outgoing flows and by 18.5% for incoming flows. Exports fell for both EU countries (-32.7%) and non EU countries (-37.3%). Imports decreased by 22.8% for EU countries and by 12.5% for non EU countries.

Over the last three months, seasonally-adjusted data, compared to the previous three months, dropped for both exports (-18.9%) and imports (-18.3%).

In April 2020, compared with the same month of the previous year, both exports and imports fell (-41.6% and -33,7% respectively). Outgoing flows decreased by 39.4% for EU countries and by 44.0% for non EU countries. Incoming flows dropped by 34.6% for EU area and by 32.5% for non EU area. The trade balance in April 2020 amounted to -1,157 million Euros (-1,004 million Euros for EU area and -153 million Euros for non EU countries).

In April 2020, import prices decreased by 2.7% on a monthly basis (-1.0% for the euro zone, -4.3% for the non-euro zone). Over the last three months, compared to the previous three months, import prices decreased by 4.3% (-0.6% for the euro zone and -7.6% for the non-euro zone).

Import prices decreased by 8.0% in April 2020, compared to the same month a year ago (-1.8% for the euro zone and by -13.8% for the non-euro zone).

Covid-19 crisis had an impact on Intrastat survey and a decrease of number of declarations submitted was registered mainly as consequence of the deferral to 30 June of the transmission deadlines envisaged by the “Cura Italia” Decree. The actions carried out to tackle these disturbances in data collection (see Methodological note, page 11) have made it possible to process and disseminate intra-EU trade data of April 2020. These will be subject to revision when, once the suspension period of the transmission deadlines has ended, all Intrastat declarations of April will be available. Import prices survey did not record issues: the businesses response rate was in line with the usual rates recorded in the months preceding Covid-19 crisis.