Romania's trade deficit has reached 9.61 billion euros (12.3 billion U.S. dollars) over the first nine months this year, 45.6 percent up compared to the same period of last year, the National Statistics Institute reported on Friday.

FOB (Free On Board) exports amounted to 19.09 billion euros (24.4 billion dollars) over the period, up by 16 percent as against the first nine months of the previous year, it said.

CIF (Cost Insurance and Freight) imports, however, amounted to 28.7 billion euros (36.7 billion dollars), increased 24.5 percent as against the January-September period in 2005.

In comparison with the corresponding period of 2005, the value of the exports to the European Union states increased by 15.8 percent, while imports from them increased by 24.4 percent.

Romania's main partner countries for exports include Italy, which accounts for 18.4 percent, Germany, Turkey, France, Hungary, Britain, Bulgaria, Austria, the United States, Spain, the Netherlands and Greece.

In the upper echelon of the import-supplier countries for Romania, Germany ranks the first with 14.9 percent of the total, followed by Italy, Russia, France, Turkey, China, Austria, Kazakhstan, Hungary and Poland.

Source: Xinhua