Summary
In the last three months, exports decreased by 25.6% and imports by 23.9%, comparing to the same period in the previous year (December 2007 to February 2008), leading to a decrease in the deficit of the trade balance.
In February 2009, Intra-Community and Extra-Community trade decreased in both flows, maintaining the trend of the previous months. This trend reflects the international crisis that appeared in 2008, and although in the fourth quarter of 2008 only the Intra-Community trade was affected, since January 2009 the trade with the Third Countries also registered a year-on-year downturn, contrasting to the trend observed in 2008.