The eurozone’s trade surplus grew more than expected in September as imports were flat and exports rose, data from the EU statistics office Eurostat showed yesterday.

The trade surplus for the 17 countries sharing the euro, unadjusted for seasonal swings, was €13.1 billion in September, compared with €8.6 billion surplus in the same period last year.

Analysts polled by Reuters expected a €10 billion surplus in September.

Adjusted for seasonal factors, the trade surplus was €14.3 billion as exports rose one per cent from August to September and imports fell 0.3 per cent.

Non-seasonally adjusted, exports rose three per cent on the year in September following a six per cent drop in August, while imports were flat in September after a seven per cent drop in the previous month.

The cumulative surplus of the eurozone for the first nine months of the year more than doubled on the year to €109.6 billion, compared with €50.2 billion surplus in the same period of 2012.

The eurozone recovery almost stalled in the third quarter after a return to growth in the second quarter, as France failed to sustain a rebound in the July to September period, underscoring how fragile the economic repair remain.

The southern periphery, suffering from record joblessness, weak growth and painful austerity, continued to improve their trade balance as their competitiveness gets on a more sound footing.

Portugal, heading for an exit from its bailout next year, saw exports up by three per cent in the first eight months of the year, while exports in Spain, due to end its programme by the end of the year, and Greece rose by five per cent. Germany, Europe’s largest economy, saw imports down by one per cent and imports falling by two per cent on the year in the January to August period.