January - May foreign trade totals 268 bn Sk

Slovakia's foreign trade recorded a turnover of 268.4 billion Sk in the first five months of this year, marking a 13.6 percent (32 billion Sk) increase compared to the same period of 1996, the Statistical Bureau reported. The balance went 29.9 billion Sk into red. The deficit was seen in trade with Russia (19.8 billion Sk), the U.S., France, Japan, and Italy. A 4.5 billion Sk deficit was seen in trade with the EU, while with OECD countries it was 9.1 billion Sk. Apart from CEFTA countries (a surplus of 3.5 billion Sk), a surplus was recorded in trade with Germany and Austria.