Phnom Penh: Cambodia exported US$4.41 billion worth of goods to the European Union (EU) last year, up 20.34 percent from US$3.66 billion recorded in 2023, a report from the Ministry of Commerce showed. The Kingdom’s imports from the EU inched down by 3.3 percent to US$917 million from US$949 million in 2023, read the report. The two-way trade, encompassing both exports and imports, rose by 15.47 percent to US$5.32 billion.

According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, Spain and Germany emerged as Cambodia’s biggest trade partners within the EU, with bilateral trade volumes of US$1,041 million and US$911 million respectively. Other European trade destinations for Cambodia include France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The report highlighted that the Kingdom’s trade with the EU accounted for 9.62 percent of Cambodia’s total trade, which amounted to US$55.37 billion.

Cambodia primarily exports textiles, footwear, bicycles, foodstuffs, milled rice, and other agricultural products to the EU under the Everything but Arms (EBA) scheme. The surge in exports to the EU demonstrated the competitiveness and capacity of Cambodian products to meet larger orders and growing European demand. This was emphasized by H.E. Penn Sovicheat, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce, who stated, “This sustained growth in exports indicates the increasing competitiveness of Cambodian goods in the European market.”