The European Union said its trade with the rest of the world would slump this year by as much as 868 billion euros ($963 billion), or more than 10%, in a gloomier updated forecast that offers fresh evidence of the global economic damage caused by the coronavirus.
EU exports of goods and services will fall by 282 billion euros to 470 billion euros, or 9% to 15%, while imports of both will decline by 313 billion euros to 398 billion euros, or 11% to 14%, the European Commission said on Friday.
In an initial projection in mid-April of the pandemic’s impact, the commission said the bloc’s trade with the rest of the world would fall by 525 billion euros this year. That outlook foresaw EU exports of goods and services dropping 9.2% and imports declining 8.8%.