France's trade deficit widened to 6.7 billion euros in July, as reported by customs data released on Tuesday, September 8. This increase was driven primarily by a rise in imports, which reached 61.3 billion euros—up by 1.1 billion euros compared to previous months. A significant portion of this increase came from transportation equipment, which saw a 700 million euro rise in imports. Meanwhile, exports grew only slightly, reaching 54.7 billion euros, an increase of 200 million euros, described by customs as "moderate." The rise in imports was particularly influenced by products from the automotive industry, along with, to a lesser extent, aerospace and space industries. These sectors contributed significantly to the growing trade imbalance. On the export side, the modest growth was largely due to an increase in electricity product deliveries by 300 million euros. This uptick in exports is tied to rising electricity prices on wholesale markets, which were driven by a combination of factors: a heatwave and drought that limited supply—especially nuclear power production—and increased demand, particularly for air conditioning. The overall current account deficit, which includes trade in goods, services, and income flows, reached 4.7 billion euros in July, according to the Bank of France. This represents a worsening compared to June, when the deficit was -1.6 billion euros. The goods trade deficit also deteriorated, reaching 6.8 billion euros in July, up from 5.2 billion euros in June. This was mainly due to a worsening balance in non-energy goods. The energy deficit remained unchanged at 3.7 billion euros, while the surplus in services trade declined to 3.8 billion euros, down from 5.3 billion euros in June, largely due to a drop in business-related services. On a 12-month cumulative basis, France's current account deficit stood at 12 billion euros, a significant improvement compared to 18.2 billion euros in the same period a year earlier. This suggests a gradual improvement in the country's overall economic balance despite the monthly fluctuations.