Trade with Russia up by a quarter in 2001

Dutch imports from Russia rose to 3.4 billion euro in 2001, an increase of 23 percent on the previous year. Exports to Russia rose by just over 24 percent to 2.1 billion euro.

Trade with Russia

In the last five years imports from Russia have risen by 162 percent, mainly pushed up by imports of petroleum and petroleum products. Exports to Russia grew by 55 percent. By comparison, total Dutch imports rose by 55 percent in the same period, exports by 57 percent.

Eastern Europe

Russia is the main trading partner of the Netherlands in Eastern Europe. In 2001 the Netherlands imported 8.6 billion euro worth of goods from Eastern Europe. Forty percent of these came from Russia. Nearly one quarter of the 9.4 billion euro worth of Dutch goods exported to Eastern Europe in 2001 went to Russia.

Imports: mainly petroleum and petroleum products

The Netherlands imports mainly petroleum and petroleum products from Russia. While these accounted for 56 percent of imports in 1996, by 2001 seventy percent of imported products fell into this category. In 2001 the value of these goods was 2.4 billion euro. The port of Rotterdam plays a very important role in the distribution of these goods.

Total imports and exports of petroleum and petroleum products from Russia

Exports: food, chemical products and machines

Three-quarters of exports to Russia consist of food, chemical products and machines.  Exports of these goods were respectively 12, 32 and 33 percent higher than in 2000.

Trade deficit since 1999

Following the break-up of the former Soviet Union into its constituent republics in 1992, the Netherlands had a trade surplus in its dealings with Russia until 1998. In 1999 there was a trade deficit for the first time. Increased imports of petroleum pushed up this deficit to 1.2 billion euro in 2001.

Wiel Packbier