eu market survey 2003 - crecer

5.2 Import by product group
In this paragraph we will discuss the import per
product group. In the figure attached to each
product group, the quantitative developments
are put down. The size of the circle indicates the
size of the import market in terms of value. On
the vertical axe you will find the import
development in value in the year 2001. The
horizontal axe gives to an indication of import
development between 1997 and 2001 in terms of
volume. We have used volume figures instead of
value figures to indicate the long term
development. The main reason for using the
volume figures instead of the value figures is
that the value figures deriving from Eurostat are
How to read the graphics in paragraph 5.2:
Example: Figure 5.9 indicates that the German
import of metalware is the biggest metal import
market in de EU in 2001 (size of the circle). In
2001, the German import decreased by almost
8 percent in terms of value (vertical axe). In the
period 1997 till 2001, the German import
market increased by only 3 percent in terms of
volume (horizontal axe).
Conclusion: Apart from strong fluctuations in
import figures, the German import as a whole
seems to be quite stable reflected by the long
term growth of only 3 percent (volume).
not corrected for inflation. Because the inflation differs from country to country, using the value
figures to indicate import developments especially long terms ones, could lead to wrong
assumptions. Additional information can be found in Appendix 2.
Metalware
In 2001, metalware was the leading product group imported by the EU-countries, representing a
value of € 2.0 billion and a volume of 419,000 tons. In 2001, the imported value showed a small
decline of 1 percent, whereas the volume dropped by 3 percent. Over the period between 1997
and 2001, the import of metalware grew by 23 percent in value and 19 percent in volume. In
Figure 5.9, we can see that Germany, the biggest import market, accounting for almost a quarter
of the EU imports, declined in terms of value (vertical axis) in 2001. Over the period 1997 to
2001, the German import of metalware in terms of volume only grew by 3 percent (horizontal
axis). In 2001, the import volume even dropped by 9 percent. The United Kingdom is becoming
more important, accounting for 19 percent of the EU imports. In 2001, the United Kingdom
showed the most growth, as the import of metalwares increased by 11% in terms of value and 7
percent on a volume basis. Other important import markets are France (13%), the Netherlands
(8%), Belgium (8%), Spain (8%), Italy (5%) and Austria (4%).
Figure 5.9
Relative attractiveness of EU-countries with respect to the import development of
metalware
20%
% growth 2001 in €
15%
United Kingdom
10%
Belgium/ Luxembourg
Finland
5%
Netherlands
Sweden
Denmark
Ireland
0%
Austria
France
-15% -5% 5% 15% 25% 35% 45% 55%
-5% Portugal
Italy
Greece
Germany
-10%
-15%
-20%
Spain
% growth 1997 - 2001 in volume
Source: Eurostat, 2002
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