BRUSSELS, Jan 19 - The euro zone's trade surplus shrank to 5.0 billion euros in November from a revised 9.6 billion in October as exports fell and imports picked up, the European Union statistics office said on Monday. The shrinking trade surplus comes as European authorities voice growing concern over the detrimental impact of the strong euro on the competitiveness of exports from the 12-nation bloc. Eurostat said exports fell by 0.8 percent, on a seasonally adjusted basis, from October while imports rose by 2.8 percent.
The euro zone trade surplus in October was initially reported as 9.7 billion euros. The trade balance for the 15-nation European Union plunged into a 2.7 billion deficit in November from a surplus of 1.8 billion in October as exports fell 1.8 percent and imports rose 2.0 percent.//