Two valid questions
‘What did Germany import?’ and ‘What entered the EU27 from outside the bloc?’ are different. German imports from France matter to the first. They must be excluded from the second.
Problems arise when those perspectives are blended: the chart can show EU members supplying the EU27, and goods may be counted again as they move between members.
The correct bloc treatment
For EU27 external imports, aggregate member-state imports from non-EU partners only. EU27 exports should likewise include destinations outside the bloc.
This produces an extra-EU view useful for examining dependence on China, Japan, Indonesia, South Korea, the United States and other external markets.
What the corrected bloc view reveals
Extra-EU Chapter 92 imports totalled €1.255bn in the 12 months to June 2026, down 4.9%. China supplied €485.9m, or 38.7%, followed by the United States at €224.2m, Indonesia at €219.3m and Japan at €105.5m. Together, those four origins represented more than 82% of extra-EU imports.
China’s value fell by €37.6m and its share slipped 1.0 percentage point. US value fell €19.3m and share 0.6 points. Indonesia’s value was almost flat—up only €0.8m—but share rose 0.9 points because the whole market contracted. Japan combined a €5.8m value increase with a 0.85-point share gain, the clearest growth story among the four largest suppliers.
Concentration is the deeper signal
Once intra-EU movements are removed, the bloc’s reliance on a small group of external suppliers becomes much clearer. China alone remains larger than the United States and Japan combined, while China and Indonesia together account for over 56% of the extra-EU total.
That does not prove supply-chain vulnerability by itself. It does show where disruption, tariff or currency scenarios deserve attention—and why an EU-wide view answers a different strategic question from a national market view.
When intra-EU trade belongs
If the customer selects France, imports from Germany or Belgium are real and meaningful. They may reflect production, distribution or re-export through an EU hub.
The interface should label the perspective explicitly: ‘France—imports from all partners’ versus ‘EU27—extra-EU imports’. The values are not corrupted; the scope changed.
Readable country names
Statistical classifications sometimes preserve historical or formal descriptions. The interface can show familiar short names while retaining the original code and source label underneath. That improves readability without altering data lineage.
Sources and scope
This analysis uses official aggregate trade and policy sources. It does not represent retailer sell-through or company-level shipment intelligence. External commentary is labelled separately from official evidence.