EU’s latest trade figures show why they need Brexit Britain

Last year the EU sold £236bn of goods to the UK

Montage © Facts4EU.Org 2022

Brexit Britain is the EU’s second-largest market, yet still they are hostile

On Thursday the EU’s statistics agency published its trade figures for last year (2021). Facts4EU.Org’s analysis shows that the United Kingdom represents a vital world market for EU27 countries - only the USA bought more from them.

Below we show just how important Brexit Britain is to the EU, before commenting on the results.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

1. EU27 goods exports to the world
Figures for 2021 in £s billions, converted to pounds sterling at £1 = €1.20

United States : £332.8bn
United Kingdom : £236.3bn
China : £186.2bn
Switzerland : £130.5bn
Russia : £74.4bn
Turkey : £66.0bn
Japan : £52.0bn
Norway : £47.1bn
South Korea : £43.2bn
India : £34.9

More than one in eight of all goods exported by the EU27 are sold to the UK

The Rt Hon Sir John Redwood MP, commenting to Facts4EU.Org

"The EU’s unfriendly behaviour to one of its biggest customers is leading many more UK consumers to look for alternatives to EU goods and food.
The more difficult they make it to trade with them the more we will make and grow more for ourselves and the more we will develop our bigger trade with the rest of the world.
Many other countries welcome our approach to free trade and fair commerce and see us as good friends."
- The Rt Hon Sir John Redwood MP, 25 Mar 2022

Brexit Facts4EU.Org Summary

2. Last year the EU profited from the trade with the UK - as usual
Figures for 2021 in £s billions, converted to pounds sterling at £1 = €1.20

The balance of trade with the UK was heavily in the EU’s favour
The EU sold the UK £114bn more than the UK sold to the EU
In percentage terms the UK is the EU’s most profitable trading partner by far
The EU’s trade surplus with the UK represented 31.8% of total trade between the two entities

Observations

Brexit Britain is the second-most important market for the European Union, although you would scarcely know this from the way they have behaved towards the UK since the British people voted to leave the EU in 2016. Indeed, in percentage terms the UK is the EU’s most profitable trading partner.

Last year the EU sold us getting on for a quarter of a trillion pounds’ worth of goods – and that was while Covid was still raging.

Despite this we have seen the most appalling behaviour by the EU towards their former member country, from splitting the sovereign territory of the UK via the N.I. Protocol to the draconian and bureaucratic impediments for British companies trying to export goods the other way.

We are supposed to have a ‘Trade and Cooperation Agreement’ with the EU, yet most of the trade only goes one way and ‘cooperation’ is probably the last term anyone would use to describe their dealings with the UK over the past six years.

Isn’t it time the British Government started to act tough? The Prime Minister has acted strongly in dealing with Russia. Perhaps the same approach is now called for with the EU.

A good start would be to invoke Article 16 of the N.I. Protocol. Let’s get the whole of our country back.

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[ Sources: EU Commission statistics agency | Rt Hon Sir John Redwood MP ] Politicians and journalists can contact us for details, as ever.

Brexit Facts4EU.Org, 26 Mar 2022

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Reader Comments 8

1. Just A Thought , Saturday, March 26, 2022, 10:28:

"ThEy NEEd Us!". Still using that old chestnut, ey? It is nothing short of remarkable that you interpret the fact that we are their 2nd largest export market as that they need us. It also reflects just how much we need them. We're the ones paying after all.
Trade is like a handshake & often symbolised as one, for valid reasons.
Where would we get these goods on the open market at a better price?
Australia or NZ? They won't be as cheap - these places are weeks away by ship.
Plus, labour & other input costs are higher than the countries we had EU deals with. We have not yet signed any better deals.
The ink on the "superb" Brexit deal that no one wants credit for hasn't even dryed yet & already, the average earner has little left after paying rent & energy bills.
Where can we get enough meat on the bone to ensure current & future growth? Africa? Unattached wealth is not so common in the Commonwealth anymore.
It's not like the good old days when diamonds & gold were lying about.
Problem is, China has solidified it's position on the most resourceful continent.
China is building major infrastructure works there on loan, with the hope of defaulting on repayments or corruption to eventually own the resources.
We are too late to that party - or rather, we got there early, uninvited, ate the all the food, drank too much drink, started fights, overstayed our welcome & had to be shown the door. It is telling that many African nations have turned to "unfriendly" China rather than to us.
South America has established trade channels. Infact, just about every major trade area has thriving trade with it's neighbours because it makes the most sense - except us (& Russia:))
Anyone in high school knows all of this, so you're either playing at not knowing or you genuinely don't. I'm not sure which is worse.

2. John Hardman , Saturday, March 26, 2022, 12:03:

Absolutely sick to death with EU bad mouthing the UK and as for the little man from France so have no words for the horrible man.
Boris needs to start standing up for us the people of the UK.
If not then it is a vote loser.
And the woke left, green and Lib will not be getting my vote. 🇬🇧

3. Robert Mcdonald , Saturday, March 26, 2022, 15:25:

Just a thought, just a thought. "we the ones paying". Therein lies the key, it's our money and money talks. They want / need our money otherwise they wouldn't bother to trade with us. We have options, some of which may cost more in the short term, but trade has a wonderful way of finding a way to work.

4. Chris , Saturday, March 26, 2022, 15:28:

I and many others avoid buying EU products whenever possible. I no longer go on holiday to Europe and won't buy another German car.

5. LuxuryBalloon , Saturday, March 26, 2022, 16:02:

It would be interesting to see how our export figures to the EU and non-EU countries compare.

6. jon livesey , Saturday, March 26, 2022, 16:51:

I think the most obvious evidence that EU countries need to UK market is that the EU had to set up an emergency fund to compensate its members for their post-Brexit trade losses. And the biggest single beneficiary was Ireland.

7. jon livesey , Saturday, March 26, 2022, 16:54:

1. Just A Thought : That's a long vague ramble, but the plain fact is that trade with the EU, both directions has dropped from 60% of total UK trade a couple of decades ago, to about 40/60 in favour of non-EU countries. The EU simply does not dominate our trade in the way it did until quite recently.
You can go on as much as you like about how they ought to, but they no longer do.

8. Just a thought , Sunday, March 27, 2022, 17:15:

3. If your export partner has the manufacturing plants, the experince & finess to operate them, access to resources & the skillset to make & distribute products; if all you have is money then how do you see this scenario play out over time? We had 5 or 6 Brexit "options" too & we ended up with the option everyone else expected but the people who actually voted for it. Money talks but that's all. We need to DO, not talk. Right leaning populist movements love talk. Talking about doing A,B & C, then absolutely avoid actually doing any of those things but take the money for talking about it. Not just here - even in other countries.
4. Your vote made EU products too expensive. That's a more realistic reason. Problem is we're not making many cars - we do have Dyson vacuums though.
7. When you decide to cancel a trade deal, the expected outcome is a drop in trade. Hope that helps.

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