France's trade deficit hit a record high last year, with the economy hurt by high energy costs and French exporters unable to match the dynamism of their peers in neighbouring Germany.
The customs office said today France's trade deficit was €29.211 billion in 2006, against a gross €22.936 billion in 2005. In December, France chalked up a deficit of €2.922 billion against a revised €2.674 billion in November.
The November figure had previously been given at 2.8 billion euros. French Trade Minister Christine Lagarde told French Info radio that the record deficit was essentially caused by the high price of energy in 2006.
"If you look at the trade balance without energy prices you will see that not only do we have a surplus, but our surplus is growing, growing for the first time since 2001," she said. "We have reason to be satisfied."