Economy+of+EU


 * EU Economy **

GDP //(Gross Domestic Product, at market prices / current prices)//
//Source: Eurostat, data available on March 22nd, 2009 // A major trend to observe is that the GDP is higher in the Euro zone.

**BUDGET **
Source: European Commission, //Reforming the Budget, Changing Europe, []//


The first trend to observe is that the percentage of EU budget increased continuously but quickly from 1958 to 1993. But, it has been decreasing until today.

The main contributors of the revenues of the EU budget have changed among the years. We can distinguish 5 types of resources:
 *  The financial contributions
 *  Traditional own resources (customs duties & sugar levies)
 *  VAT-based own resources
 *  GNI-based own resources
 *  Other revenues and surplus from previous year.

From the foundation of EEC in 1957 to the 1980s, the main revenues are composed by financial revenues and traditional own revenues. Since the 1980s, the financial contributions disappeared to leave the place to the traditional own resources. Finally, today the two main revenues are the traditional revenues (still) and the GNI-based own resource.

<span style="text-align: center; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 70%;">Source: European Commission, //Reforming the Budget, Changing Europe, []//

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">First, as the revenues of the budget, the general trend is exactly the same: continuous increasing until 1993, and decreasing then.

Five types of expenditures are composing the EU budget. They are the following ones: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> The main expenditure is definitely the Agriculture, related to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Then, the second main expenditure is the structural actions.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> Agriculture
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> Structural actions
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> Internal policies
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> External policies & pre-accession aid
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> Administration

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> BALANCE OF TRADE //(2007)//
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">**Goods**

//<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-size: 80%; text-align: center; display: block;">Source: Eurostat, data available on March 22nd, 2009 //

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">The Balance of Trade is quite interesting and meaningful about the business relations of the EU and other regions in the world.

EU is exporting more than importing goods to United States, but importing a lot more than exporting from Japan, Russian Federation and China.

As a global trend, the balance of trade is negative, that means the EU is more importing goods than exporting.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> //<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 80%; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); text-align: center; display: block;">Source: Eurostat, data available on March 22nd, 2009 //
 * Services**

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">This graph shows us that EU is a great services exporter. The Balance of Trade in Services is widely positive with most of the other regions of the world.

The main importers of EU services are Asia, America, Switzerland, Near and Middle East.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> INTRAZONE TRADE
<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> All of the EU countries have a major dependence on Intra-EU zone trade. Their economies are definitely oriented towards the European Union countries. This is a good indicator of EU integration.



<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Georgia,serif;"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> - Eurostat, data available on March 22nd, 2009 - European Commission, Reforming the Budget, Changing Europe, http://ec.europa.eu/budget/reform/history/history1957_fr.htm - Eurostat, Key Figures on Europe, 2009 version
 * Sources**

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> Back to //Main Statistical Data//


 * Related Argument**
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); display: block; text-align: left;">Demography & Geography of EU

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Georgia,serif;">//TF// <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 128); text-align: center; display: block; font-size: 80%;"> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128); font-family: Georgia,serif;">