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EDICOM REPORT
200453202017 Analysis of Asymmetries in intra-community trade statistics with particular regard to the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects December 2005
Mark Herrigan, Andrew Kochen and Tricia Williams
Statistics and Analysis of Trade Unit HM Revenue & Customs
5th Floor Central Alexander House
21 Victoria Avenue Southend-on-Sea SS99 1AA
United Kingdom
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ......................................................................................................... 3
2. The equipment and software applications........................................................... 3
3. The Rotterdam Effect ........................................................................................ 4
4. Research into the Rotterdam Effect .................................................................... 8
5. Exports via another Country.............................................................................. 11
6. Imports via another Country.............................................................................. 12
7. Asymmetries ..................................................................................................... 13
8. EU Regulation Changes.................................................................................... 24
9. Recommendations ............................................................................................ 25
10. Conclusion ........................................................................................................ 26
Annex A.................................................................................................................... 27
Annex B.................................................................................................................... 30
Annex C ................................................................................................................... 34
References............................................................................................................... 67
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
1. Introduction
The aim of this study was to analyse the asymmetries in intra-Community trade statistics with particular regard to the impact of the Rotterdam/Antwerp effect, and to provide recommendations on improving EU trade statistics and better align them with international definitions. Asymmetries between the UK, and Belgium and the Netherlands were identified at the chapter level for 2002 and 2003, and at the aggregate monthly level for 2000 to 2003. Research was also undertaken on the Rotterdam Effect; the different kinds of transit flow and what impact these have on trade statistics. This study was undertaken by the Statistics and Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU). SATU is part of the UKs HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC), and is responsible for the collection, compilation and publication of the UKs Overseas Trade Statistics (OTS).
2. The equipment and software applications
Data were taken from the Comext Database via Internet link and are on a Special trade basis. The data were manipulated in SAS and Excel.
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
3. The Rotterdam Effect
The UN International Merchandise Trade Statistics Concepts and Definitions (IMTS) (United Nations, 1998 paragraph 45) defines goods in transit to be goods entering and leaving a country with the exclusive purpose of reaching a third country. The Rotterdam Effect, alternatively known as the Antwerp Effect, is a term used to describe asymmetries and other anomalies arising from transit trade through major ports, such as Rotterdam, whether these arise from traders correct or incorrect declarations. Principally, the Rotterdam Effect causes imports and exports to be attributed to the country of transit as opposed to the real partner country. The Rotterdam Effect is not confined to trade between EU Member States but can affect trade between any pair of countries where the goods are transported through one or more additional countries.
Transit Flows
There are several different kinds of transit flow, and it is how these flows are collected and recorded in trade statistics that may lead to the Rotterdam Effect. Non-EU Transit Trade
For exports from the EU that transit through a non-EU country, figure 1 shows the possible forms this transit might take.
EU Country of Dispatch
Non-EU Country Of Destination
Non EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
Figure 1: Exports via non-EU
EU Country of Dispatch
Non-EU Country Of Destination
Non EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
Figure 1: Exports via non-EU
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Figure 2 shows the cases for imports from outside the EU that pass through another non-EU country.
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Despatch
Non EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
Figure 2: Imports via non-EU
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Despatch
Non EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Despatch
Non EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
Figure 2: Imports via non-EU
In these diagrams three main kinds of transit trade are identified:
simple transit, where the goods pass through a country and not declared as imports or exports in the country of transit;
indirect trade, where goods are cleared as imports and then subsequently exported again, but always in foreign ownership;
re-exports, similar to indirect trade, but the goods become the property of a resident in the state of transit on import, and then resold on export.
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Transit Trade within the EU
Figures 3 and 4 show the differences involved where the country of transit is within the EU. Note it now makes a difference whether the partner country at the end of the chain is also within the EU or not.
EU Country of Despatch
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Destination
EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Cus
tom
s Bo
rderFree
Circulation
Simple Transit
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
Figure 3: Exports via the EUEU Country of
Despatch
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Destination
EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Cus
tom
s Bo
rderFree
Circulation
Simple Transit
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
EU Country of Despatch
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Destination
EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Cus
tom
s Bo
rderFree
Circulation
Simple Transit
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
Figure 3: Exports via the EU
EU Country of Despatch
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Despatch
EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Cus
tom
s B
orde
rFree Circulation
Simple Transit
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
Figure 4: Imports via the EU
EU Country of Despatch
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Despatch
EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Cus
tom
s B
orde
rFree Circulation
Simple Transit
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
EU Country of Despatch
EU Country of Destination
Non-EU Country Of Despatch
EU Transit Country
Customs Border
Property of ResidentFree
Circulation
Cus
tom
s B
orde
rFree Circulation
Simple Transit
Simple Transit
Indirect Trade
Re-Exports
Figure 4: Imports via the EU
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Again, the same three kinds of transit can occur with an EU country of transit: simple; indirect; and re-exports. However, since goods can move freely between EU countries without customs formalities, i.e. directly into free circulation, there are differences with movements across the customs border. Most notably, simple transit between EU Countries takes place entirely on the free circulation side of the customs border.
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
4. Research into the Rotterdam Effect
At the 6th OECD International Trade Statistics Expert Meeting in Paris Mr. Jasper Roos of Statistics Netherlands gave a presentation on International Transport and Trade Statistics. As covered in the accompanying paper (Roos, 2005), he identified five kinds of transit flow through the Netherlands:
re-Exports the export of previously imported goods, which became the property of a Dutch resident on import;
quasi-transit the export of previously imported goods, which were never the property of a Dutch resident;
transit through a customs warehouse; transit through the Netherlands goods that pass through the Netherlands but
are never stored, traded or cleared in the Netherlands; and
transito goods bought and then sold by a Dutch resident, but the goods themselves never enter the Netherlands.
Quasi-transit is clearly the same as indirect trade. Roos identifies quasi-transit as the Rotterdam effect. Transito is commonly known as triangular trade. According to Roos, only the re-export category really belongs in international trade statistics, but quasi-transit is also included by the EU. However, he does admit that the conceptual differences between re-export and quasi-transit is in practice quite narrow, especially when this involves multinational corporations. Based solely on the compulsory fields required by Eurostat for both Intrastat and Extrastat, these flows cannot be distinguished. The Netherlands is able to distinguish between re-export, quasi-transit and normal exports for their exports since they require an additional Statistical Procedure field to be filled in (Statistics Netherlands, 2005), which does effectively encode re-exports and quasi-transit. For the Netherlands, on a yearly basis, quasi-transit trade amounts to about 30 billion (Roos, 2005). Impact on Trade Statistics Since the Rotterdam effect is based around the misattribution of partner country data, it is a cause of asymmetries between countries trade data. Therefore, several bilateral asymmetry studies between the EU and non-EU countries have identified the Rotterdam Effect as a component of the asymmetries. In 2002, the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Eurostat carried out a bilateral asymmetry study (International Merchandise Trade, Australia, 1998). This notes that EU imports from outside the EU are attributed to the Member State where the goods are entered into free circulation. This is often the port of first entry into the EU, whereas the Australian export declaration declares the final EU country of destination. The asymmetries of Australian exports to the imports of the individual Member States were significantly greater than with the EU as a whole. This is described as the Rotterdam Effect. However, the report also describes other difficulties with Country Classification. There are Australian re-exports, where Australia declares these as exports to the EU, but in the EU records these as imports
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
from the country of origin. Similarly, there are EU indirect imports, where goods of Australian Origin are imported and then re-exported via another country, which are declared in the EU as imports from Australia but are only recorded as Australian exports to the EU if the exporter fills in an EU country of final destination. Aside from asymmetries, when Trade Statistics are published and analysed, the Rotterdam Effect is sometimes referenced to explain unusual properties of the data. For example, in January 2003 an article on Chinas trade with the EU (Bautier, 2003), notes that Dutch imports from China are overestimated due to the Rotterdam Effect, which also has the effect of improving the external trade balances of those Member States which are the true destination of the goods. Similarly, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Timber Committees Australian Market Report, 2002 (UNECE, 2002) described how Austrias timber imports were boosted as much by the Rotterdam Effect, whereby the imports were destined for other EU Member States, as by actual growth in the internal market. However, it is not only where the country of transit is an EU Member State that the Rotterdam Effect can come into play and cause asymmetries. In 2000, Statistics Canada and Eurostat carried out a bilateral asymmetry study (International Trade Division Statistics, Canada, 2000). This study draws attention to the difference between indirect trade and transit trade. By their definitions, in the former, the goods are imported into an intervening country and then re-exported, as opposed to the latter whereby the goods merely move in bond through the intervening country. As such, for indirect trade the final destination may well not be known. This indirect trade is equivalent to the quasi-transit trade identified by Roos. In terms of the impact on Canadian/EU asymmetries, the main intervening country is the USA. Thus for Eastbound trade, the Canadians class the indirect trade as exports to the USA, and the transit trade as exports to the EU. The EU classes both of these as imports from Canada on a country of origin basis. Similarly for Westbound trade, the EU may record exports to the USA whereas Canada records an import from the EU due to country of origin. In 2004, HMRC studied asymmetries with the USA and Canada (Terrazzano, 2004). Here it was discovered that crude oil is imported from the UK via Portland, Maine in the USA, and then sent by pipeline to Canada. This is recorded in Canada as in import from the UK, whereas the UK records an export to the USA. The USA do not record either flow, as it is simple transit. Thus the UK records more oil exports to the USA then they record importing, and recorded less oil exports to Canada then they record importing. The Introduction of Intrastat
Since some of the issues involved with the Rotterdam effect are connected to the interface between the Intrastat and Extrastat trade data collection systems, it is useful to look at how the introduction of Intrastat in 1993 influenced the Rotterdam Effect. Fortunately, in August 1994 the report UK Visible Trade Statistics The Intrastat System was published in Economic Trends (Williamson and Porter, 1994). Here Rotterdam Effect is used to refer to an anomaly from before the introduction of Intrastat. Prior to Intrastat some imports from non-EU countries which came via other
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Member States before clearing customs in the UK were incorrectly recorded as imports from that other Member State. After 1993 and the introduction of Intrastat these movements were correctly recorded since it was known that Member States should not appear on Extrastat declarations. Williamson and Porter estimate that about 2 billion of imports in 1992 were erroneously declared as coming from within the EU, of which about 0.8 billion was from the Netherlands. A related effect in the paper is referred to as hidden transit, which are imports cleared for free circulation in another Member State before arriving within the UK. This is essentially the same as the indirect trade referred to in the previous two papers. It was feared that these movements might not be captured by Intrastat due to traders not understanding their obligations. However, this was found not to be the case. Implications of Research
So the Rotterdam Effect comes into play with transit both within and without the EU. The tendency is for an export to be declared to the goods final destination, whereas the import is declared in that final destination as coming from the transit country. But what does legislation require and international recommendations suggest about the correct declaration of these movements?
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
5. Exports via another Country
The IMTS (United Nations, 1998) provides guidance and best practice on the compilation of trade statistics, while EC Legislation governs the specific compilation of trade statistics within the EU. In general, the legislation follows the concepts contained in the IMTS. For transit flows, we shall look at what the IMTS guidance for the declaration of transit flows, and then see how the implementation of EU Legislation differs from this. IMTS Recommendations
The IMTS (United Nations, 1998) recommends that, for an export, the country of last known destination be recorded as the partner country (paragraph 150). Paragraph 45, Goods in transit, says Goods entering and leaving a country with the exclusive purpose of reaching a third country are excluded. For an export or dispatch from a Member State to another country via an intermediary country, whether simple transit or indirect trade, the recommendations say that the final destination should be recorded, irregardless of whether the two other countries involved are themselves Member States or not. EC Legislation
Where the final destination is outside the EU, article 161 (5) of Regulation (EC) 2913/92 clearly states that The export declaration must be lodged at the customs office responsible for supervising the place where the exporter is established or where the goods are packed or loaded for export shipment. HMRCs Notice 275, Exports Procedures, also reinforces this point, saying EC law requires that, normally, the export declaration must be lodged in the exporters Member State. Only in exceptional circumstances may the declaration be lodged in another Member State. This is in line with the IMTS recommendations. Also, once an export declaration has been lodged, no Intrastat declaration liability arises for movement through another Member State, also in line with IMTS. Where the final destination is another Member State, EU regulations simply require the final destination to be recorded, and again no liability for declaration in the EU state of transit. As part of the UKs contribution to Eurostats Guidelines on the Implementation of the Intrastat Legislation HMRC has written guidance on the correct procedure for declaring exports (see Annex A).
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
6. Imports via another Country
IMTS Recommendations
The IMTS (United Nations, 1998) recommends in paragraph 150 that, for imports, the partner country be recorded as the country of origin. In paragraph 45, it is recommended that the movement not be recorded in the intermediary country. EC Legislation
If the intermediary country is outside the EU, then EC regulations are inline with the IMTS recommendations since the country of origin is recorded on the Customs SAD (Single Administrative Document) declaration. Unfortunately, for where the intermediary country is another MS, there is no equivalent to article 161 for imports. The EU country where the goods are cleared for free circulation will be deemed to have imported the goods from the non-EU country, and any onward movement will be declared under Intrastat. The importer in practice has two choices. They can move the goods from the other Member State to the UK under Community Transit, and then clear for free circulation in the UK, or they can clear them for free circulation in the country where the goods first enter the EU. In the first case, the declaration will be in line with the IMTS recommendations. Nothing will be recorded in the other Member State, and the UK will record an import from the non-EU country. In the second case however, the other Member State will record an import from the non-EU country, and correspondingly an Intrastat Dispatch to the UK. The UK will record an arrival from that Member State. So although both the UK and the other Member States balance of payments remain unaffected, and asymmetries between the two are avoided, this is not inline with the IMTS recommendations. Compared to those recommendations, the UK would tend to overstate its arrivals from within the EU with a corresponding understatement of the UKs non-EU imports. The other Member State would also have an artificial increase in its imports and dispatches.
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
7. Asymmetries
Comparison with the EU
In principle, any asymmetries due to transit trade through another country will not cause a net change in a countries import or export figures, and the asymmetry will disappear when countries are aggregated together. For the EU member states, we will look at the asymmetries before and after aggregating trade to and from the UK. All asymmetries in this report are defined as reported imports subtracted from reported exports. Table 1: UK Import Asymmetries with the EU, 2000 2003 Billion
Total of Individual
Absolute AsymmetriesAggregate Absolute
Asymmetry Difference
2000 21.7 21.7 0.0
2001 33.2 33.1 0.1
2002 28.4 27.5 0.9
2003 23.4 23.2 0.2
Source: Comext Database
For UK Arrivals there is little difference between the two figures in table 1. Notably in 2000, for all EU Member States the UK arrival figures were lower then the other states dispatch figures, leading to no difference between the asymmetry figures above. This implies that either transit trade is having little distortive effect on the UKs arrivals from the EU, or that high levels of other asymmetry issues are masking the effect. The table does not include the UKs estimates of the impact of Missing Trade Intra Community (MTIC) fraud estimates, since these estimates cannot be allocated by country. However, the estimate was 4.1 billion in 2000, 10.4 billion in 2001, 16.5 billion in 2002 and 6.3 billion in 2003. So movement in these estimates can partly explain the increase in asymmetries between 2000 and 2001, and the fall between 2002 and 2003.
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Table 2: UK Exports Asymmetries with the EU, 2000 2003 Billion
Total of Individual
Absolute AsymmetriesAggregate Absolute
Asymmetry Difference
2000 8.3 3.7 4.5
2001 12.0 8.3 3.7
2002 13.7 13.2 0.6
2003 10.6 3.8 6.8
Source: Comext Database
In table 2 quite a marked difference can be seen, implying that transit trade could well be distorting the true destination of UK goods bound for Europe. The notable jump from only 0.6bn to 6.8bn between 2002 and 2003 is due to a marked drop in the UKs declared dispatches to Germany. In 2002, the UKs dispatches to Germany exceeded Germanys arrivals figures by 0.9bn. In 2003, Germanys arrivals figures exceeded the UKs dispatches by 2.4bn. Table 3: UK Import Chapter Asymmetries with the EU, 2002 2003 Billion
HS2 Chapter
Total of Individual Absolute
Asymmetries
Aggregate Absolute
Asymmetry Difference
2002 30 Pharmaceutical products 2.67 0.11 2.5684 Machinery and mechanical appliances 4.48 2.76 1.73
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 11.04 10.08 0.9687 Vehicles; other than railway or
tramway rolling stock 3.13 0.87 2.26
2003 30 Pharmaceutical products 2.19 0.39 1.8084 Machinery and mechanical appliances 4.46 3.63 0.83
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 2.89 1.45 1.4487 Vehicles; other than railway or
tramway rolling stock 3.32 0.56 2.76
Source: Comext Database
Looking at the imports of individual chapters, it can be seen that several chapters show noticeably reduced asymmetries with the EU as a whole for the individual countries. In particular for both pharmaceuticals and vehicles aggregating the countries reduces the asymmetry by other two thirds (table 3). MTIC trade involves commodities in chapter 85. The estimate of the impact of MTIC fell by about 10 billion between 2002 and 2003, and so may account for part of the fall in the chapter 85 asymmetries between 2002 and 2003.
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Table 4: UK Export Chapter Asymmetries with the EU, 2002 2003 Billion
HS2 Chapter
Total of Individual Absolute
Asymmetries
Aggregate Absolute
Asymmetry Difference
2002 27 Mineral fuels and oils 4.32 2.76 1.5630 Pharmaceutical products 0.89 0.02 0.8884 Machinery and mechanical appliances 4.63 3.83 0.80
88 Aircraft and spacecraft 0.89 0.04 0.842003 27 Mineral fuels and oils 5.07 0.89 4.1830 Pharmaceutical products 0.93 0.01 0.9284 Machinery and mechanical appliances 4.71 2.82 1.90
88 Aircraft and spacecraft 1.99 0.72 1.27Source: Comext Database
The effect is also quite noticeable for the UKs exports, with fuel and aircraft showing the most improvement from aggregation. Transportation via pipelines causes particular problems with reporting the correct partner country with chapter 27 (table 4).
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Belgium and the Netherlands
For the whole period, the UKs import asymmetries with both Belgium and the Netherlands have their declared exports to the UK as being higher then the UKs declared imports (Figure 5). There is no overall trend in the asymmetries over the four years, however changes in the pattern of MTIC fraud over the period may be masking other effects. If transit trade was a dominating cause of the asymmetries it would be expected that the UKs declared imports would be higher. These figures overall would indicate that transit trade is not the biggest contributing factor to the UKs asymmetries with Belgium or the Netherlands. (Full data on the UKs monthly asymmetries with Belgium and the Netherlands are in Annex B.)
Figure 5: UK Import Assymetries with Belgium and the Netherlands, 2000 - 2003
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Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
For the UKs export asymmetries with Belgium, the UKs declared exports have generally been lower then Belgiums declared imports, with no overall trend, and a relatively low level of asymmetries. However with the Netherlands, although for most of the period the Netherlands imports have been lower then the UKs exports, there is a clear downward trend, and in December 2003 the Netherlands imports exceeded the UKs exports (Figure 6). It is possible that transit trade issues caused the high levels of asymmetry in 2001. (Full data on the UKs monthly asymmetries with Belgium and the Netherlands are in Annex B.)
Figure 6: UK Export Assymetries with Belgium and the Netherlands, 2000 - 2003
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Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
The major asymmetry chapters for UK imports are the same for Belgium as for the EU as a whole (Table 5). For all of them, Belgiums exports are higher then the UK imports, in line with the overall asymmetry noted earlier. Full details are in Annex C.
Table 5: UK Import Chapter Asymmetries with Belgium, 2002 2003 Billion
HS2 Chapter UK ImportsBelgium Exports Asymmetry
2002 30 Pharmaceutical products 0.67 1.09 0.41
84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 1.28 1.72 0.44
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 1.07 1.29 0.22
87 Vehicles; other than railway or tramway rolling stock
6.02 6.56 0.54
2003 30 Pharmaceutical products 1.08 1.55 0.46
84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 1.28 1.58 0.30
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 1.02 1.24 0.22
87 Vehicles; other than railway or tramway rolling stock
5.43 5.87 0.44
Source: Comext Database
Similar chapters cause problems with imports from the Netherlands, with the notable exception of chapter 27 (Table 6). Also only for chapter 85, electrical machinery, do the UK imports exceed the Netherlands exports. (Full details are in Annex C.)
Table 6: UK Import Chapter Asymmetries with the Netherlands, 2002 2003 Billion
HS2 Chapter UK ImportsNetherlands
Exports Asymmetry
2002 27 Mineral fuels and oils 0.37 0.66 0.29
30 Pharmaceutical products 0.74 0.92 0.18
84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 4.00 5.38 1.38
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 2.86 2.49 -0.37
2003 27 Mineral fuels and oils 0.86 1.23 0.37
30 Pharmaceutical products 0.82 1.23 0.42
84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 4.39 5.71 1.32
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 2.96 2.59 -0.36
Source: Comext Database
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Due to the low level of export asymmetries with exports to Belgium at the aggregate noted earlier, the major chapters similarly show a fairly low level of asymmetries. Chapters 71 and 85 show large asymmetries in 2002 but not 2003 (Table 7). (Full details are in Annex C.)
Table 7: UK Export Chapter Asymmetries with Belgium, 2002 2003 Billion
HS2 Chapter UK ExportsBelgium Imports Asymmetry
2002 27 Mineral fuels and oils 1.37 1.27 0.10
71 Precious Metals, stones and jewellery 2.98 3.32 -0.34
84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 1.90 2.11 -0.21
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 1.59 0.89 0.71
2003 27 Mineral fuels and oils 1.79 1.61 0.18
71 Precious Metals, stones and jewellery 3.16 3.14 0.03
84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 1.58 1.72 -0.15
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 0.83 0.67 0.16
Source: Comext Database
As with the UK import asymmetries with the Netherlands, chapter 27 is a major cause of asymmetries (Table 8). Also, the larger UK exports compared to the Netherlands imports indicates a possible transit trade issue. (Full details are in Annex C.)
Table 8: UK Export Chapter Asymmetries with the Netherlands, 2002 2003 Billion
HS2 Chapter UK ExportsNetherlands
Imports Asymmetry
2002 27 Mineral fuels and oils 5.87 3.65 2.22
49 Books, Newspapers etc. 0.38 0.15 0.23
84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 3.79 3.94 -0.15
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 3.46 1.75 1.71
2003 27 Mineral fuels and oils 4.66 3.28 1.38
49 Books, Newspapers etc. 0.40 0.13 0.27
84 Machinery and mechanical appliances 3.02 3.74 -0.72
85 Electrical machinery and equipment 3.20 1.57 1.63
Source: Comext Database
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Specific movements, 2003
Energy products like oil, gas and electricity can cause particular problems with transit trade, due to often being continuously imported and exported via pipelines or pylons, and not in discrete shipments, so we would expect to see mismatches with these countries. Table 9: UK Oil Asymmetries with the EU For 2003 Million
Country
UK Import
Asymmetry
UK Export
Asymmetry
Austria 0 0
Belgium 47 -39
Germany 375 -1,491
Denmark 24 12
Spain -8 -61
Finland 2 29
France 201 731
Greece -5 -6
Ireland 44 -973
Italy 116 -129
Luxembourg 0 0
Netherlands 124 1,297
Portugal 78 -60
Sweden 74 -166
Source: Comext Database
For UK imports compared to other MSs exports, all large asymmetries show the UK imports to be lower then the MS export, so cannot be used to discern transit trade (Table 9). By comparison, for UK exports the exports to the Netherlands exceed their declared imports by over 1 billion. Whereas the UKs exports to Germany are under Germanys imports by a similar amount. This would indicate transit trade, and that some UK oil bound for Germany is declared instead as an export to Netherlands. The UK has gas pipelines with the Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland. The UK declared exports of 366 million to Ireland in 2003, but Ireland only declared imports of under half this, 172 million.
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Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
The UKs pipeline to the Netherlands goes directly form installations in the North Sea, and so cannot be used for Imports, so the exports of 33 million that the Netherlands declared to the UK most likely was transit trade that used the Belgium pipeline (table 10).
Table 10: UK Gas Asymmetries with the EU For 2003 Million
Country
UK Import
Asymmetry
UK Export
Asymmetry
Belgium 48 65
Ireland 0 194
Netherlands 30 86
Source: Comext Database
All electricity imports and exports between the UK and mainland Europe use a single connection via France. The UKs electricity declarations for 2003 only have France as a partner country. Nonetheless, several other MSs declare imports and exports of electricity from the UK, so it would be expected that some of the UKs declarations involving France are transit trade. However, the UKs declarations are lower then Frances for both imports and exports (Table 11), indicating other problems in the data.
Table 11: UK Electricity Asymmetries with the EU For 2003 Million
Country
UK Import
Asymmetry
UK Export
Asymmetry
Austria 55 -81
Belgium 4 -4
Germany 1 -2
France 41 -15
Greece 0 0
Ireland 3 -29
Netherlands 0 -11
Source: Comext Database
Combining countries, 2002 2003
Where the transit flows are known, data from the countries involved can be combined to study the impact on asymmetries. We did this earlier at a macro level by grouping together all the EU countries, and we saw that for the UKs oil exports the near mirroring of the asymmetries with the Netherlands and Germany. If the oil trade
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with the Netherlands and Germany are combined, the asymmetry is reduced to only 193m, compared to a total UK declared export of 6.4 billion.
Other data sources
In the UK, VAT returns from traders include two additional boxes on the value of trade with other member states. As part of the VAT return, which firms complete each quarter, there is a declaration of the total value of exports of goods (Box 9) to customers in other EU Member States and the total value of imports of goods (Box 8) from suppliers in other EU Member States. These returns provide a direct estimate of the size of UK exports to and imports from the EU. They are also used to identify the requirement to fill in a more detailed, monthly Intrastat return (if the value of the declarations on the VAT return exceed the Intrastat threshold). In addition to the data available from the VAT returns, traders who have arrivals or dispatches with other member states must also submit a European Sales List (ESL). This is a mandatory document that all VAT registered traders are required to complete. The trader is required to supply the details of each dispatch transaction that they have made with a trader in another Member State stating the partner trader's VAT Registration number and the value of the goods (but with no product description). EU legislation sets out the VAT control arrangements for administrative co-operation between Member States. This requires each Member State to maintain an electronic database of data from ESLs and to share and exchange this data with Member States in order to confirm the validity of VAT registration numbers. This exchange scheme is known as VIES (VAT Information Exchange System). It is a condition of zero-rating the exporter's supply that the VAT registration number of his EU customer is correct, so information provided on the ESL is a means for businesses to ensure that they are accounting for VAT correctly and confirms their entitlement to a VAT repayment. Since the completion of an ESL is mandatory, it should be a comprehensive list as it will record dispatches by every VAT registered trader. But the extent to which this requirement is regulated and is enforced is likely to vary considerably across Member States. There is evidence to suggest that in some cases the penalty for non-compliance is lower than the cost of employing someone to complete an ESL, so traders may not be concerned about complying. Information from ESLs is also used to prevent the wrongful diversion of home-use goods that traders have zero-rated as exports. Using information from ESL submitted in other Member States could also help identify potential MTIC fraud (a further cause of asymmetries. Exchanging information and detailed level data with other member states in bilateral projects can identify discrepancies in data, but is very time consuming and cannot be included as part of the checking procedures before the data are first published. However, the Netherlands has begun to collect additional data on warehousing and transit trade directly from businesses. This enables them to adjust their trade figures to take account of transit trade.
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Tobacco products
One area of interest is excise goods, that is goods subject to extra taxes. These goods are subject to additional controls, but also likely to be smuggled or be used in diversion fraud1. Excise goods are moved via special customs warehouses. While smuggled goods are not included in the trade-in-goods statistics, goods that are diverted may cause problems with asymmetries that add to transit trade patterns. Looking at tobacco goods (HS chapter 24), there is a sudden change in the UKs asymmetry with Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands (Table 12). This is largely due to a change in the UK dispatch figures, and not from a decrease in the rest of the EUs arrival figures. The increase in dispatches to Belgium and the Netherlands in 2003 largely corresponds to the fall in despatches to Germany; this may be evidence of diversion fraud. If this was really a change to effectively reporting the country of transit, we would expect the original asymmetry with Germany to be much more neutral.
Table 12: UK Tobacco Asymmetries with the EU, 2002 2003 EU Arrivals UK Dispatches UK Arrivals EU Dispatches
2002 2003 2002 2003
Austria 1.83 1.89 -0.14 -0.96
Belgium -35.67 -142.77 -8.29 -4.95
Germany -167.73 9.06 137.70 132.48
Denmark 1.05 0.87 -1.74 -0.96
Spain -0.85 20.27 0.87 1.70
Finland 0.07 0.07 0.00 0.00
France -3.33 9.05 23.40 17.23
Greece -6.41 -5.44 0.11 1.20
Ireland 5.15 29.92 -42.52 -41.05
Italy 11.95 6.67 -5.17 -11.15
Netherlands -2.50 -20.39 1.84 -4.08
Portugal -0.77 -2.49 36.57 40.98
Sweden -0.65 0.68 -1.17 0.41
Source: Comext Database
1 Goods may either be diverted within the country recording the dispatch or on arrival in the partner country.
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8. EU Regulation Changes
In 2005, the EU introduced new regulations regarding trade statistics between Member States, with Regulations (EC) 638/2004 and 1982/2004. Although these largely are designed just to clarify and standardise existing legislation, there are some pragmatic changes that increase asymmetries and especially some forms of transit trade. Regulation (EC) 1949/2005 brings Extrastat treatment of these areas in line with Intrastat treatment from 2006. Ships & Aircraft Stores
Previously, national goods delivered (for either use on the journey by the crew or passengers, or for the operation of the craft) to foreign ships and aircraft were recorded as dispatches and similarly, foreign goods delivered to national craft were recorded as arrivals, as appropriate. However, now only the dispatch side need be recorded, leading to an asymmetry between Member States. This was a pragmatic decision due to the difficulty of correctly accounting for the import/arrivals side. Ships & Aircraft
Previously, these were recorded as an import when there was a change in ownership from foreign ownership to a person established in that. Similarly an export was recorded when there was a change in ownership from an established person to foreign ownership. The new regulations now consider that an arrival or dispatch has occurred when a ship is transferred between the registers of two different countries. Gas and Electricity
The imports and exports of energy goods like electricity and gas have caused specific problems due to their fungible nature. Thus a sale between entities in two different countries may not be directly traceable to a specific movement of physical goods. This is due to the pipeline or grid operator netting off the fiscal sale of goods across the border, and only physically pumping the net sale across the border. Worse, for sales that involve transit through an intermediate country, there is no guarantee of the true origin of the goods the buyer actually receives, since the entire product is mixed within the pipeline. Since Eurostat is primarily concerned with the physical movement of goods across borders, Regulation (EC) 1982/2004 allows the physical net flow across the border to be recorded as the arrival and dispatch between the two Member States, disregarding the fiscal sales behind this movement (including when such fiscal sales imply the transit of goods to another Member State). In effect, much of the trade seen in earlier years appears to be recorded as trade between the dispatch country and the country where these goods first cross a border, so there should not be a large change in the recorded trade figures.
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9. Recommendations
Exports
The current regulations regarding export declarations do satisfy the requirements of IMTS for exports via another country, whether that is another MS or not, as long as they are properly implemented. Some trader education however may be necessary to insure the proper completion of SADs and that no dispatch Supplementary Declaration (SD) is completed for the movement. The UK will issue guidance to such effect. Imports
Imports directly from another country outside the EU causes no particular concern, there is however no easy solution for imports via another MS. The current freedom enjoyed by importers about how to declare their imports cannot realistically be changed purely for statistical purposes. It can be seen that the current system is pragmatic in that it avoids systematic asymmetries with in the EU, and each countries trade balance remains intact. Since no customs declaration (SAD) accompanies the arrival in the UK, all information has to be via the Intrastat SD. Some countries collect the optional country of origin field on SDs, which does allow them to reallocate transit trade from outside the EU for their national figures if they wish. However, as this field is not compulsory, it cannot be used for the trade statistics sent to Eurostat. There are several possible solutions to this problem: Include the Country of Origin as a compulsory field on SDs. However, current moves are to simplify Intrastat, not add more fields. There would also have to be an accompanying field on import SADs to identify the EU country of destination, so that Member States can uniformly identify imports cleared there but are destined for elsewhere in the EU. If this is not done, then when EU data are aggregated there would be double counting of EU imports. However, the SAD is also currently undergoing simplification. Rather than collect the country of origin data from all Intrastat traders, only collect this information from some of them. This could be achieved either by having the fields only being compulsory for those traders above a higher threshold (with minimum coverage defined by Eurostat), or by an additional survey of only the key traders involved in transit trade. While this would increase the burden on the provider, it would be substantially less then option one. Transit trade can be estimated by grouped analysis. However, this relies on trade data from other EU countries, so cannot be performed until several months after the period in question, and relies on knowledge of transit trade patterns so that the correct country groupings are used. Greater organisation in the sharing of such information, facilitated by Eurostat, would be useful.
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10. Conclusion
The correct attribution of partner country to transit trade is a longstanding problem. However, the problem has become worse over recent years, due in part to the separation of the Intrastat and Extrastat collection systems. There is the potential to improve the situation, but to eliminate the problems inherent in the collection systems (as opposed to those from trader error and ignorance) would unfortunately increase the burden on at least some businesses.
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Annex A
Procedure to be followed when a company in one European Union (EU) Member State exports goods to a non-EU country, via a second Member State
for transport reasons only (Draft).
The Rotterdam Effect 1. Introduction:
a. The Rotterdam Effect is the term used to describe the potential statistical inaccuracy resulting from the misreporting of exports from the EU as Intrastat movements. This can happen where the goods pass through a port or airport in another EU Member State for transport reasons. Such goods are intended for export out of the EU and, typically, are merely transhipped in the second Member State from one vessel to another, prior to exiting the EU.
For example:
A company in Member State 1(MS1) loads goods onto a feeder vessel in the local port, which takes them to a port in Member State 2 (MS2). The goods are transhipped in the port of MS2 to a deep-sea vessel that transports the goods to a non-EU country, e.g. India.
MS 1 company Feeder vessel
MS 2
port
MS1 export
India
Deep-sea vessel
The goods are exported from MS1 to India, via a port in MS2. The MS1 company must therefore declare an export from MS1 to India, the country of final destination outside the EU.
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2. Responsibility for export formalities: a. the export declaration should normally be lodged with customs in the actual
Member State of export (MS1) who supervise the place where the exporter is established (see below), or where the goods are loaded for export shipment. Transhipment from a feeder vessel to a deep-sea vessel in an intermediate EU port does not constitute loading for export shipment. (See example 7a)
b. an export declaration may only be lodged in another Member State (MS2) in
exceptional circumstances, e.g. a change of contract or diversion from the original destination. (See example 7 c.)
c. the Intrastat system must not be used to declare the removal of goods from
one Member State (MS1) to an intermediate port or airport in another Member State (MS2) where the sale contract has been concluded with a company established in a non-EU country.
3. Export declaration: a. where goods are declared for export in MS1, but exit the EU via MS2, an
endorsed copy of the Single Administrative Document (SAD) must normally accompany the goods to the office of exit (the port in MS2) to indicate that export formalities have been carried out in the country of export.
b. where the copy SAD is not required to travel with the goods, the standard
shipping note will normally be endorsed EXPORT by Customs.
4. Evidence of final destination: Evidence of final destination can normally be found in most of the following commercial documents:
a. sales contract b. sales invoice c. the load list (where required) d. ships manifest (these may only feature the identity of the deep-sea vessel
with the goods destination). e. Bill of Lading
5. Exceptions:
a. exceptions to this rule may include occasions where the transaction occurs between a company in MS1 and a middleman in MS2, even though the goods may simply be transhipped and exported from the EU.
b. in this case the first trader may not know the final destination of the goods and will normally declare the transaction as a dispatch to the EU partner country. (See example 7 b.) Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
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6. What is an established company?
A company is regarded as established in a Member State if it has premises from which it engages in and intends to continue engaging in significant economic activities indefinitely or for finite, but long, period of time. A detailed definition can be found in paragraphs 62 64 of the IMF Balance of Payments Manual. A company is not regarded as established solely because it is registered for VAT in a Member State. 7. Examples:
UKExport
NL(Transit)
INImport
Goods leave UK on a feeder vessel destined for India bill of lading covers carriage of goods from UK to India
Goods are transhipped in Rotterdam to a deep-sea vessel bound for India
Goods arrive in India to fulfil an order placed with a UK supplier
UK Dispatch NL Arrival IN Import
Goods leave UK destined for a company in the Netherlands. UK company has no knowledge of final destination therefore UK dispatch, partner country NL
Netherlands company declares arrival, partner country UK, subsequently arranges export to India
Goods arrive in India to fulfil an order placed with Netherlands company
Export
Goods leave UK on a feeder vessel destined for India bill of lading covers carriage of goods from UK to India
NL(Transit)
NL Export
In
Goods originally destined as an export to India. Change of contract involves delivery of goods to Sri Lanka
LK Import
Goods arrive in Sri Lanka as an import from the UK (via NL) as a result of a change of contract
b. UK Intrastat/NL export:
c. UK export, destination changed in port of exit (NL)
a. UK export:
UKExport
NL(Transit)
INImport
Goods leave UK on a feeder vessel destined for India bill of lading covers carriage of goods from UK to India
Goods are transhipped in Rotterdam to a deep-sea vessel bound for India
Goods arrive in India to fulfil an order placed with a UK supplier
UK Dispatch NL Arrival IN Import
Goods leave UK destined for a company in the Netherlands. UK company has no knowledge of final destination therefore UK dispatch, partner country NL
Netherlands company declares arrival, partner country UK, subsequently arranges export to India
Goods arrive in India to fulfil an order placed with Netherlands company
Export
Goods leave UK on a feeder vessel destined for India bill of lading covers carriage of goods from UK to India
NL(Transit)
NL Export
In
Goods originally destined as an export to India. Change of contract involves delivery of goods to Sri Lanka
LK Import
Goods arrive in Sri Lanka as an import from the UK (via NL) as a result of a change of contract
b. UK Intrastat/NL export:
c. UK export, destination changed in port of exit (NL)
a. UK export:
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Annex B
UK Import Asymmetries with Belgium and the Netherlands, 2000 2003
Millions
Belgium Netherlands
UK
Imports Belgium Exports Asymmetry
UK Imports
Netherlands Exports Asymmetry
2000
Jan 1,159 1,430 270 1,771 1,848 77
Feb 1,309 1,617 308 1,891 2,064 173
Mar 1,553 1,929 376 2,282 2,526 244
Apr 1,392 1,560 167 1,912 2,051 139
May 1,507 1,768 261 2,046 2,316 270
Jun 1,381 1,713 332 2,080 2,145 65
Jul 1,377 1,636 259 2,013 2,238 225
Aug 1,268 1,553 284 2,062 2,424 362
Sep 1,353 1,737 384 2,246 2,490 244
Oct 1,437 1,768 331 2,240 2,419 179
Nov 1,476 1,862 386 2,281 2,510 229
Dec 1,233 1,667 434 2,002 2,265 263
2001
Jan 1,583 1,880 298 1,889 2,213 324
Feb 1,514 1,743 229 1,807 2,203 396
Mar 1,612 1,971 358 2,360 2,850 490
Apr 1,407 1,609 202 1,785 2,208 423
May 1,552 1,863 311 1,966 2,455 489
Jun 1,543 1,865 323 2,261 2,792 531
Jul 1,568 1,793 226 1,903 2,211 308
Aug 1,373 1,706 333 1,802 2,187 385
Sep 1,526 1,831 304 2,034 2,304 270
Oct 1,531 1,876 345 2,092 2,509 417
Nov 1,476 1,749 272 2,076 2,268 193
Dec 1,209 1,490 282 1,731 2,099 368
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Millions
Belgium Netherlands
UK
Imports Belgium Exports Asymmetry
UK Imports
Netherlands Exports Asymmetry
2002
Jan 1,506 1,831 325 1,956 2,232 277
Feb 1,589 1,856 267 1,920 2,171 251
Mar 1,753 2,069 316 2,272 2,513 241
Apr 1,574 1,798 224 2,014 2,147 134
May 1,558 1,793 235 2,024 2,398 374
Jun 1,379 1,721 342 2,042 2,416 373
Jul 1,614 1,874 259 1,941 2,170 229
Aug 1,437 1,726 290 1,881 2,161 280
Sep 1,715 2,013 298 2,105 2,469 364
Oct 1,715 2,028 313 2,171 2,541 371
Nov 1,517 1,828 311 2,018 2,458 440
Dec 1,231 1,438 207 1,780 2,255 475
2003
Jan 1,476 1,650 174 1,781 2,197 417
Feb 1,504 1,703 199 1,764 2,162 398
Mar 1,554 1,821 268 2,010 2,532 522
Apr 1,499 1,704 205 1,784 2,143 359
May 1,376 1,683 307 1,629 2,067 437
Jun 1,499 1,798 299 1,896 2,183 286
Jul 1,464 1,720 256 1,861 2,182 321
Aug 1,227 1,477 249 1,675 1,994 318
Sep 1,510 1,842 332 2,077 2,353 276
Oct 1,582 1,855 274 2,128 2,434 306
Nov 1,497 1,747 250 2,013 2,218 205
Dec 1,404 1,553 149 1,955 2,105 150
Source: Comext Database
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UK Export Asymmetries with Belgium and the Netherlands, 2000 2003
Belgium Netherlands
UK
Imports Belgium Exports Asymmetry
UK Imports
Netherlands Exports Asymmetry
2000
Jan 1,239 1,248 -10 1,751 1,492 259
Feb 1,347 1,464 -116 1,819 1,662 157
Mar 1,510 1,624 -114 2,256 1,926 330
Apr 1,115 1,090 25 1,753 1,614 139
May 1,465 1,570 -105 1,977 1,792 185
Jun 1,470 1,507 -38 1,996 1,792 204
Jul 1,170 1,317 -147 1,890 1,792 99
Aug 1,316 1,228 88 2,036 1,692 344
Sep 1,341 1,358 -17 2,130 1,723 408
Oct 1,302 1,298 4 1,899 1,912 -13
Nov 1,289 1,506 -216 2,415 2,211 204
Dec 1,149 1,291 -142 2,088 1,976 112
2001
Jan 1,430 1,477 -47 1,976 1,474 502
Feb 1,237 1,449 -212 1,825 1,504 321
Mar 1,328 1,468 -140 2,037 1,597 440
Apr 1,084 1,199 -115 1,701 1,361 340
May 1,309 1,368 -60 1,936 1,455 481
Jun 1,440 1,426 14 2,077 1,494 583
Jul 1,216 1,249 -32 1,902 1,403 499
Aug 1,120 1,048 72 1,898 1,298 600
Sep 1,213 1,203 11 1,938 1,276 662
Oct 1,219 1,270 -52 1,931 1,309 622
Nov 1,222 1,239 -17 1,922 1,331 591
Dec 1,070 1,100 -29 1,686 1,283 403
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Belgium Netherlands
UK
Imports Belgium Exports Asymmetry
UK Imports
Netherlands Exports Asymmetry
2002
Jan 1,217 1,201 17 1,743 1,454 290
Feb 1,323 1,269 54 1,863 1,542 321
Mar 1,451 1,542 -91 2,083 1,725 358
Apr 1,325 1,343 -18 1,909 1,606 304
May 1,429 1,418 11 1,799 1,553 245
Jun 1,337 1,421 -84 1,840 1,611 229
Jul 1,441 1,286 155 1,746 1,397 349
Aug 1,107 1,161 -54 1,561 1,433 129
Sep 1,343 1,272 71 1,969 1,646 323
Oct 1,358 1,312 47 1,785 1,542 243
Nov 1,326 1,133 193 1,843 1,520 323
Dec 1,176 1,289 -112 1,780 1,612 168
2003
Jan 1,282 1,170 112 1,923 1,458 465
Feb 1,386 1,339 47 1,872 1,469 404
Mar 1,404 1,359 45 2,165 1,662 503
Apr 1,388 1,370 18 1,635 1,410 225
May 1,287 1,246 41 1,470 1,387 83
Jun 1,389 1,363 26 1,562 1,462 101
Jul 1,317 1,330 -13 1,542 1,440 102
Aug 1,140 1,065 75 1,210 1,244 -35
Sep 1,285 1,340 -55 1,433 1,405 28
Oct 1,277 1,422 -146 1,458 1,436 21
Nov 1,229 1,299 -70 1,446 1,425 21
Dec 1,203 1,329 -125 1,499 1,549 -50
Source: Comext Database
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Annex C
UK Import Asymmetries with Belgium and the Netherlands by HS Chapter, 2002 2003
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
2002 01 Live animals 2,279 3,143 865 9,834 12,527 2,693
02 Meat and edible meat offal
99,369 122,083 22,715 963,549 1,054,404 90,855
03 Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
13,878 20,811 6,932 39,669 59,244 19,575
04 Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included
128,293 147,700 19,408 111,096 135,520 24,424
05 Animal originated products; not elsewhere specified or included
14,484 14,686 203 7,000 11,401 4,400
06 Trees and other plants, live; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage
43,104 59,929 16,825 1,007,457 1,062,003 54,546
07 Vegetables and certain roots and tubers; edible
133,150 137,487 4,337 551,200 653,803 102,603
08 Fruit and nuts, edible; peel of citrus fruit or melons
76,303 103,898 27,595 178,796 213,007 34,211
09 Coffee, tea, mate and spices
20,292 21,937 1,645 13,188 16,333 3,145
10 Cereals 11,445 34,251 22,806 44,809 41,902 -2,907
11 Products of the milling industry; malt, starches, inulin, wheat gluten
11,279 9,502 -1,777 30,987 25,953 -5,033
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Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
12 Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit, industrial or medicinal plants; straw and fodder
13,849 11,936 -1,913 70,497 69,943 -553
13 Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts
1,448 2,311 863 1,619 2,402 784
14 Vegetable plaiting materials; vegetable products not elsewhere specified or included
1,192 122 -1,070 254 236 -19
15 Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared animal fats; animal or vegetable waxes
60,947 76,117 15,169 211,374 121,456 -89,918
16 Meat, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates; preparations thereof
71,997 81,112 9,115 154,583 212,457 57,874
17 Sugars and sugar confectionery
53,853 72,379 18,526 76,638 65,801 -10,837
18 Cocoa and cocoa preparations
91,995 115,148 23,153 209,124 213,967 4,843
19 Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks' products
204,997 214,011 9,014 155,207 152,708 -2,499
20 Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants
116,541 253,593 137,052 381,900 471,966 90,066
21 Miscellaneous edible preparations
75,065 88,483 13,418 251,520 243,396 -8,124
22 Beverages, spirits and vinegar
72,805 122,505 49,700 173,625 269,858 96,234
23 Food industries, residues and wastes thereof; prepared animal fodder
68,744 48,575 -20,169 142,581 178,546 35,965
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Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
24 Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes
4,310 12,599 8,289 66,259 64,418 -1,841
25 Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement
10,994 18,258 7,264 14,946 25,141 10,195
26 Ores, slag and ash 18,508 5,750 -12,757 28,030 37,339 9,309
27 Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes
314,007 521,075 207,068 855,581 1,225,396 369,815
28 Inorganic chemicals; organic and inorganic compounds of precious metals; of rare earth metals, of radio-active elements and of isotopes
84,653 111,935 27,282 186,859 177,553 -9,306
29 Organic chemicals 533,022 597,913 64,892 1,305,642 1,198,121 -107,521
30 Pharmaceutical products
673,378 1,086,996 413,618 817,538 1,232,940 415,402
31 Fertilizers 22,083 31,931 9,848 67,804 64,039 -3,766
32 Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other colouring matter; paints, varnishes; putty, other mastics; inks
123,489 144,871 21,382 212,938 223,150 10,212
33 Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations
96,112 85,078 -11,034 127,967 161,630 33,663
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Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
34 Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster
236,354 261,893 25,539 135,063 177,674 42,611
35 Albuminoidal substances; modified starches; glues; enzymes
28,041 41,434 13,393 80,486 98,225 17,739
36 Explosives; pyrotechnic products; matches; pyrophoric alloys; certain combustible preparations
953 654 -300 4,182 7,366 3,183
37 Photographic or cinematographic goods
144,061 122,232 -21,829 157,374 119,016 -38,357
38 Chemical products n.e.s.
217,106 279,264 62,158 199,309 297,977 98,668
39 Plastics and articles thereof
1,197,309 1,392,222 194,913 1,000,234 1,105,568 105,335
40 Rubber and articles thereof
159,385 172,408 13,022 195,628 230,945 35,317
41 Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather
17,184 11,093 -6,092 27,211 39,091 11,881
42 Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles of animal gut (other than silk-worm gut)
52,135 55,298 3,163 33,613 51,306 17,693
43 Furskins and artificial fur; manufactures thereof
159 687 528 5,584 4,764 -820
44 Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal
238,549 273,936 35,387 76,331 84,185 7,854
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
37
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
45 Cork and articles of cork
406 357 -49 429 134 -295
46 Manufactures of straw, esparto or other plaiting materials; basketware and wickerwork
84 304 221 3,059 3,166 107
47 Pulp of wood or other fibrous cellulosic material; recovered (waste and scrap) paper or paperboard
6,028 4,322 -1,706 4,993 4,866 -128
48 Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or paperboard
276,377 356,223 79,846 538,995 580,257 41,262
49 Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans
40,237 76,787 36,550 114,894 178,898 64,004
50 Silk 146 141 -4 139 609 469
51 Wool, fine or coarse animal hair; horsehair yarn and woven fabric
12,824 17,024 4,200 3,506 2,533 -972
52 Cotton 49,968 58,137 8,169 24,821 28,232 3,410
53 Vegetable textile fibres; paper yarn and woven fabrics of paper yarn
18,460 18,703 243 2,385 1,232 -1,153
54 Man-made filaments 76,144 82,423 6,279 51,632 83,328 31,697
55 Man-made staple fibres
63,750 75,727 11,977 9,807 15,807 6,001
56 Wadding, felt and nonwovens, special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof
26,319 26,385 66 32,126 48,227 16,101
57 Carpets and other textile floor coverings
568,927 621,171 52,244 178,011 202,468 24,457
58 Fabrics; special woven fabrics, tufted textile fabrics, lace, tapestries, trimmings, embroidery
114,280 126,360 12,080 9,087 9,608 521
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
38
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
59 Textile fabrics; impregnated, coated, covered or laminated; textile articles of a kind suitable for industrial use
16,763 26,171 9,408 25,251 30,248 4,997
60 Fabrics; knitted or crocheted
6,128 6,471 343 5,992 5,187 -806
61 Apparel and clothing accessories; knitted or crocheted
215,307 235,611 20,304 134,499 170,025 35,526
62 Apparel and clothing accessories; not knitted or crocheted
287,847 302,522 14,675 194,548 222,763 28,215
63 Textiles, made up articles; sets; worn clothing and worn textile articles; rags
7,983 16,195 8,212 29,359 56,942 27,583
64 Footwear; gaiters and the like; parts of such articles
408,207 396,713 -11,494 221,283 190,790 -30,493
65 Headgear and parts thereof
13,444 19,068 5,624 6,549 6,859 309
66 Umbrellas, sun umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat sticks, whips, riding crops; and parts thereof
184 205 21 1,109 1,179 70
67 Feathers and down, prepared; and articles made of feather or of down; artificial flowers; articles of human hair
70 393 322 1,479 5,544 4,065
68 Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; articles thereof
42,820 50,293 7,473 39,286 58,752 19,467
69 Ceramic products 32,003 46,908 14,905 30,376 34,615 4,239
70 Glass and glassware 163,730 166,370 2,640 72,527 66,459 -6,067
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
39
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
71 Natural, cultured pearls; precious, semi-precious stones; precious metals, metals clad with precious metal, and articles thereof; imitation jewellery; coin
564,303 807,052 242,749 21,993 21,461 -533
72 Iron and steel 313,413 354,614 41,201 252,956 333,872 80,916
73 Iron or steel articles 156,045 191,109 35,063 189,555 270,741 81,186
74 Copper and articles thereof
75,629 92,204 16,575 27,868 38,200 10,332
75 Nickel and articles thereof
7,172 6,667 -505 24,179 23,702 -477
76 Aluminium and articles thereof
105,330 92,824 -12,506 173,501 277,038 103,537
78 Lead and articles thereof
1,065 3,180 2,116 1,603 1,024 -579
79 Zinc and articles thereof
5,605 6,020 415 7,131 7,507 376
80 Tin; articles thereof 953 6,022 5,070 4,353 6,119 1,766
81 Metals; n.e.s., cermets and articles thereof
13,526 14,613 1,087 26,654 43,157 16,503
82 Tools, implements, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof, of base metal
55,930 62,859 6,929 101,934 97,071 -4,863
83 Metal; miscellaneous products of base metal
18,717 25,132 6,415 86,290 101,409 15,119
84 Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof
1,283,412 1,718,460 435,048 4,385,513 5,709,741 1,324,228
85 Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers; television image and sound recorders and reproducers, parts and accessories of such articles
1,071,812 1,289,154 217,342 2,956,029 2,592,521 -363,508
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
40
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
86 Railway, tramway locomotives, rolling-stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures and fittings and parts thereof; mechanical (including electro-mechanical) traffic signalling equipment of all kinds
133,039 201,936 68,897 4,598 4,840 243
87 Vehicles; other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof
6,020,175 6,556,655 536,479 2,012,030 1,829,298 -182,732
88 Aircraft, spacecraft and parts thereof
195,776 143,831 -51,945 51,641 85,566 33,926
89 Ships, boats and floating structures
3,237 2,999 -238 11,756 94,606 82,850
90 Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus; parts and accessories
311,795 293,418 -18,377 1,129,122 1,148,461 19,339
91 Clocks and watches and parts thereof
1,642 2,990 1,348 5,445 6,609 1,164
92 Musical instruments; parts and accessories of such articles
4,402 5,076 674 11,622 16,793 5,171
93 Arms and ammunition; parts and accessories thereof
4,126 13,727 9,600 5,798 1,009 -4,789
94 Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; lamps and lighting fittings, n.e.s.; illuminated signs, illuminated name-plates and the like; prefabricated buildings
168,090 207,524 39,434 120,088 194,829 74,740
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
41
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
95 Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof
21,359 28,253 6,895 286,823 435,081 148,258
96 Miscellaneous manufactured articles
23,091 35,667 12,576 40,089 39,316 -772
97 Works of art; collectors' pieces and antiques
1,973 2,786 812 8,607 5,141 -3,466
99 Non-merchandise trade
3,512 89,967 86,455 4,142 7,314 3,172
2003 01 Live animals 2,635 3,594 960 4,495 14,055 9,559
02 Meat and edible meat offal
119,822 139,419 19,597 1,024,888 1,152,763 127,875
03 Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
11,932 19,960 8,027 36,764 58,982 22,218
04 Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included
135,643 158,176 22,534 146,883 214,875 67,992
05 Animal originated products; not elsewhere specified or included
17,061 16,409 -652 6,089 7,877 1,788
06 Trees and other plants, live; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage
38,354 55,698 17,344 925,708 1,004,107 78,398
07 Vegetables and certain roots and tubers; edible
117,997 122,686 4,689 620,687 732,347 111,661
08 Fruit and nuts, edible; peel of citrus fruit or melons
77,804 96,200 18,396 166,480 195,655 29,175
09 Coffee, tea, mate and spices
18,452 21,747 3,295 20,492 25,463 4,971
10 Cereals 9,100 36,584 27,484 35,949 26,135 -9,814
11 Products of the milling industry; malt, starches, inulin, wheat gluten
7,558 7,384 -174 41,501 23,761 -17,740
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
42
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
12 Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit, industrial or medicinal plants; straw and fodder
12,830 11,779 -1,052 74,389 86,792 12,403
13 Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts
2,160 2,100 -60 1,630 2,719 1,089
14 Vegetable plaiting materials; vegetable products not elsewhere specified or included
120 148 28 92 332 240
15 Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared animal fats; animal or vegetable waxes
55,568 78,552 22,984 245,672 145,659 -100,013
16 Meat, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates; preparations thereof
66,757 84,684 17,927 134,346 217,409 83,063
17 Sugars and sugar confectionery
69,471 74,505 5,035 59,854 80,429 20,575
18 Cocoa and cocoa preparations
102,942 125,425 22,484 162,606 200,124 37,518
19 Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks' products
199,483 193,023 -6,461 145,579 170,849 25,270
20 Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants
153,276 250,338 97,062 353,420 442,877 89,457
21 Miscellaneous edible preparations
80,567 85,154 4,586 285,716 284,878 -838
22 Beverages, spirits and vinegar
76,840 106,106 29,266 167,835 257,216 89,381
23 Food industries, residues and wastes thereof; prepared animal fodder
70,928 71,747 819 162,639 151,401 -11,239
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
43
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
24 Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes
3,631 8,578 4,947 62,426 66,509 4,084
25 Salt; sulphur; earths, stone; plastering materials, lime and cement
7,247 11,855 4,608 15,872 20,089 4,217
26 Ores, slag and ash 15,924 7,283 -8,641 15,627 30,985 15,357
27 Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral waxes
555,421 686,572 131,151 366,057 659,567 293,510
28 Inorganic chemicals; organic and inorganic compounds of precious metals; of rare earth metals, of radio-active elements and of isotopes
78,572 93,078 14,505 202,492 175,308 -27,184
29 Organic chemicals 485,751 602,438 116,687 1,178,323 973,957 -204,367
30 Pharmaceutical products
1,083,278 1,545,516 462,239 738,264 916,399 178,136
31 Fertilizers 26,536 22,210 -4,326 86,822 84,990 -1,833
32 Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other colouring matter; paints, varnishes; putty, other mastics; inks
116,546 137,022 20,476 201,434 226,870 25,436
33 Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations
77,061 77,198 137 133,711 179,334 45,623
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
44
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
34 Soap, organic surface-active agents; washing, lubricating, polishing or scouring preparations; artificial or prepared waxes, candles and similar articles, modelling pastes, dental waxes and dental preparations with a basis of plaster
232,241 266,756 34,515 125,605 174,233 48,627
35 Albuminoidal substances; modified starches; glues; enzymes
30,045 39,041 8,996 91,220 94,199 2,979
36 Explosives; pyrotechnic products; matches; pyrophoric alloys; certain combustible preparations
848 1,028 180 6,046 4,382 -1,664
37 Photographic or cinematographic goods
123,678 137,754 14,076 146,559 106,319 -40,239
38 Chemical products n.e.s.
212,243 267,311 55,069 238,430 314,106 75,676
39 Plastics and articles thereof
1,162,895 1,374,261 211,366 1,076,957 1,121,974 45,017
40 Rubber and articles thereof
146,143 172,561 26,418 170,190 214,849 44,659
41 Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather
6,585 10,059 3,474 20,174 24,172 3,998
42 Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles of animal gut (other than silk-worm gut)
53,882 60,023 6,141 31,590 52,786 21,196
43 Furskins and artificial fur; manufactures thereof
242 431 189 2,948 4,024 1,076
44 Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal
235,517 272,327 36,810 75,578 70,762 -4,816
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
45
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
45 Cork and articles of cork
379 322 -57 183 848 664
46 Manufactures of straw, esparto or other plaiting materials; basketware and wickerwork
348 441 93 2,585 3,160 575
47 Pulp of wood or other fibrous cellulosic material; recovered (waste and scrap) paper or paperboard
4,515 2,083 -2,432 1,090 4,366 3,276
48 Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or paperboard
263,456 355,533 92,077 497,017 534,019 37,002
49 Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, typescripts and plans
41,913 87,322 45,410 125,502 154,533 29,032
50 Silk 316 475 159 248 301 53
51 Wool, fine or coarse animal hair; horsehair yarn and woven fabric
10,728 13,049 2,321 3,488 1,063 -2,425
52 Cotton 31,413 39,164 7,751 19,586 20,865 1,279
53 Vegetable textile fibres; paper yarn and woven fabrics of paper yarn
16,572 14,909 -1,662 1,709 972 -737
54 Man-made filaments 70,338 68,211 -2,127 51,826 69,625 17,799
55 Man-made staple fibres
54,915 61,913 6,998 9,566 11,806 2,239
56 Wadding, felt and nonwovens, special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof
26,135 26,025 -109 35,508 42,262 6,754
57 Carpets and other textile floor coverings
539,676 604,741 65,066 173,912 221,505 47,593
58 Fabrics; special woven fabrics, tufted textile fabrics, lace, tapestries, trimmings, embroidery
106,324 122,978 16,654 5,726 8,567 2,841
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
46
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
59 Textile fabrics; impregnated, coated, covered or laminated; textile articles of a kind suitable for industrial use
13,430 16,566 3,136 27,518 30,713 3,195
60 Fabrics; knitted or crocheted
5,628 6,287 659 3,414 3,720 307
61 Apparel and clothing accessories; knitted or crocheted
180,061 205,760 25,699 111,834 148,885 37,050
62 Apparel and clothing accessories; not knitted or crocheted
247,848 284,989 37,142 170,337 190,970 20,633
63 Textiles, made up articles; sets; worn clothing and worn textile articles; rags
9,418 22,808 13,389 30,376 50,992 20,617
64 Footwear; gaiters and the like; parts of such articles
184,144 191,247 7,103 264,129 213,088 -51,041
65 Headgear and parts thereof
11,838 16,167 4,328 7,205 8,907 1,702
66 Umbrellas, sun umbrellas, walking-sticks, seat sticks, whips, riding crops; and parts thereof
142 239 98 1,415 965 -451
67 Feathers and down, prepared; and articles made of feather or of down; artificial flowers; articles of human hair
3,981 483 -3,497 1,794 4,832 3,038
68 Stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials; articles thereof
57,176 53,367 -3,809 39,628 55,693 16,065
69 Ceramic products 36,448 45,039 8,591 30,242 28,830 -1,412
70 Glass and glassware 151,815 166,268 14,453 81,788 70,985 -10,803
Statistics & Analysis of Trade Unit (SATU) HM Revenue & Customs, December 2005
47
Analysis of Asymmetries in EU trade statistics and the impact of the Rotterdam and Antwerp effects
Thousands
Belgium Netherlands
Chapter UK Imports
Belgium Exports
Asymmetry UK Imports
Netherlands Exports
Asymmetry
71 Natural, cultured pearls; precious, semi-precious stones; precious metals, metals clad with precious metal, and articles thereof; imitation jewellery; coin
292,031 262,159 -29,872 34,162 33,868 -294
72 Iron and steel 319,964 367,898 47,934 217,124 261,155 44,031
7