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Euro Area Trade Returns To Deficit As Imports Surge

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 17, 2026

The euro area’s trade balance slipped back into deficit in May 2026 as a sharp rise in imports outpaced largely flat export growth, reversing the €15.0 billion surplus recorded a year earlier, according to Eurostat.

Imports Outpace Exports

Exports edged up just 0.1% year on year to €243.6 billion in May, while imports jumped 10.0% to €251.4 billion. The result was a monthly trade deficit of €7.8 billion, compared with a deficit of €1.2 billion in April and a €15.0 billion surplus in May 2025.

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Eurostat attributed the deterioration mainly to a wider energy trade deficit and smaller surpluses in key manufacturing sectors, including machinery, vehicles and chemicals.

The broader European Union followed the same trend, recording a €12.1 billion trade deficit in May, compared with a €12.7 billion surplus a year earlier.

External Trade Weakens

Extra-EU exports fell 1.1% to €215.7 billion, while imports from outside the bloc rose 10.8% to €227.8 billion.

For the first five months of 2026, the euro area’s trade surplus narrowed to €3.3 billion from €78.7 billion in the same period of 2025. During that period, exports declined 2.8%, while trade between euro area countries increased 3.3% to €1.16 trillion.

Across the EU, the January-to-May balance shifted to a €15.9 billion deficit from a €70.1 billion surplus a year earlier.

Downtrend Continues

Seasonally adjusted data also pointed to weaker trade performance. In May, the euro area’s trade balance stood at a €5.0 billion deficit, while the EU recorded a €9.0 billion deficit, both larger than in April.

Although trade within the single market continued to grow, rising imports from outside the bloc continued to weigh on the euro area’s external balance.

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Europe’s Deadly Summer Heat Exposed The Cost Of A Warming Continent

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 23, 2026

Europe experienced its deadliest summer for heat-related deaths on record in 2026, with an estimated 24,400 excess deaths linked to extreme temperatures across 30 countries. Researchers estimate that human-induced climate change was responsible for around 32,000 of the deaths attributed to heat in the study’s broader analysis, accounting for 65% of the total.

The findings highlight the growing public-health consequences of global warming, largely driven by fossil fuel use, as extreme heat becomes more frequent and severe.

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A Summer Of Dangerous Heat

Between June and August, heatwaves pushed temperatures in Western Europe to an average of 2.9°C above the 1991–2020 norm, with some days reaching 12°C above average. Nearly a third of estimated heat-related deaths occurred during a particularly intense heatwave between 17 June and 1 July.

“These numbers are a stark reminder that our hotter, more extreme summers are having an increasingly severe impact on public health,” said Dr Clair Barnes, a researcher at Imperial College London and co-author of the study.

The estimated toll exceeded previous peaks of around 29,000 deaths in summer 2022 and 28,000 in 2003 across the region studied.

How Researchers Estimated The Toll

Researchers modelled the relationship between temperature and mortality across 854 urban areas in the EU, UK, Norway and Switzerland, covering around 40% of the population in the 30 countries studied.

The analysis incorporated temperature records, age, socioeconomic conditions, environmental factors and access to healthcare. By comparing actual temperatures with those expected without human-induced warming, the team estimated the additional deaths attributable to climate change.

Final official mortality figures for summer 2026 are not yet available in many countries, and heat-related deaths are often underreported because their effects can be difficult to identify directly.

Older People Face The Greatest Risk

People aged 85 and over accounted for roughly half of the estimated deaths. However, the impact extended across age groups, with around 800 excess deaths among adults aged 20–44 and approximately 6,000 among people under 65.

Southern Europe experienced the highest mortality burden, reflecting hotter temperatures and other vulnerabilities, including air pollution, limited green space and unequal access to healthcare and heat-alert systems.

Italy, France And Spain Record Highest Toll

Italy recorded an estimated 13,303 heat-related excess deaths, followed by France with 7,268 and Spain with 6,824. Germany recorded around 6,340, while the UK saw an estimated 4,354 deaths.

In the UK, the heat also placed significant pressure on healthcare services. Andrew Hartle, Professor of Practice of Anaesthesia at Imperial College Healthcare, said demand during the summer resembled that of a severe winter virus season.

Cities Urged To Strengthen Heat Protection

Researchers say cities can reduce the risks through climate shelters, external shading and building retrofits, alongside measures to help residents avoid exposure during the hottest hours. Checking on vulnerable people, staying hydrated and following heat alerts are also important.

The researchers stress that adaptation must go hand in hand with reducing fossil fuel use to limit further warming. The findings underline that extreme heat is already a major public-health threat across Europe, with thousands of lives at risk each summer.