Lithuanian Department of Statistics Lithuanian imports still exceed exports and the trade balance remains negative. To EU Lithuania exports textile articles, machinery and equipment, products of chemical industry, wood and articles of wood, miscellaneous manufactured articles, transport means, mineral products. CIS countries still remain important markets for the Lithuanian exports. Lithuanian Department of Statistics Major Lithuanian imports markets are EU countries. Lithuania's major imports from EU are machinery and equipment, textile articles, different means of transport, products of chemical industry, plastics and rubber, mineral products, base metals and articles of base metals.
CIS countries are important suppliers of raw materials.
These trends will prevail for a considerable length of time, because any changes would be very expensive. Lithuanian Department of Statistics Key trade partners over the period of 1996-2000 in the EU were Germany, United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands and Italy. According to the 2000 trade statistics, Latvia Lithuania's main trade partner followed by Germany the UK and Russia. Lithuania's largest trading partner for the last few years, dropped to the second place in the first quarter of 1999, due to Russia's financial and economic crisis that started in the summer of 1998. The main commodities exported to Latvia were mineral products, prepared foodstuffs, beverages and tobacco products, machinery and equipment, products of chemical industry, textile and textile articles and other.