(BRUSSELS) - The 15 nations sharing the euro saw their trade balance with the rest of the world swing into deficit in March as imports rose and exports eased, official EU data showed Friday.

The eurozone recorded a trade deficit of 2.3 billion euros (3.6 billion dollars) in March after a surplus of 800 million euros in February, according to the European Union's Eurostat data agency.

The deficit compared with a surplus of 7.5 billion euros in March 2007, the data showed.

Imports rose 7.0 percent in March over one year to 131.6 billion euros, while exports slipped 1.0 percent to 129.4 billion euros, Eurostat said.

Meanwhile, the 27-nation EU showed a trade deficit of 20.5 billion euros in March, up from a deficit of 15.6 billion euros in February and a shortfall of 10.5 billion euros in March 2007.

Further details - Eurostat

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