The first estimate for September gave a 13.1-billion-euro surplus (US$17.7 billion) for the trade in goods with the rest of the world, compared with 8.6 billion euros in September 2012.
A trade surplus is one of the factors of growth in an economy, whereas a deficit tends to sap growth, and so achieving a trade surplus is of critical importance to economies in crisis.
Read more: Eurozone posts 13.1-billion September trade surplus: EU
