EU imported €3.3 billion worth of services in 2023
In 2023, imported services from outside the EU totalled €3 344 billion. This information comes from official statistics on the international trade in services (ITS) by modes of supply (MOS) published for the first time for modes 1, 2 and 4 and provides an overview of 'how' services are exchanged across countries and 'where' services are supplied to foreign customers.
When analyzing by mode of supply, data show that 60% (€1 996 billion) of the EU's imports of services were related to the commercial presence (mode 3), 31% (€1 030 billion) to cross-border supply (mode 1), 6% (€ 0.215 billion) to consumption abroad (mode 2) and 3% (€0.103 billion) to the presence of natural persons (mode 4).
Source dataset: ext_ser_mos
Among EU countries, in 2023, cross-border supply (mode 1) was dominant in Greece (68% of imports), Cyprus (44%) and Ireland (39%).
Consumption abroad (mode 2) was more significant in Denmark (where it accounted for 22% of imports), Croatia (13%), France (12%) and Italy (10%). For the rest of the EU countries, it accounted for less than 10% of the total imports. The largest contributors to mode 2 are some types of transport services and travel.
On the other hand, commercial presence (mode 3) accounted for 79% of imports in Hungary, 78% in Bulgaria, followed by 77% in Slovakia and Romania.
The presence of natural persons (mode 4) registered the lowest shares among all 4 modes of supply. It was more significant in Cyprus (8%), and Denmark and Malta (each 6%). For all other EU countries, it accounted for less than 5% of their services imports.
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Methodological notes
- Mode 3 imports for 2023 were estimated by Eurostat, using the Eurostat-WTO model and inward foreign affiliates statistics (FATS) data for 2022 and 2021; expert judgement was used to estimate missing data.
- Official mode 3 data for 2023 will be transmitted to Eurostat by October 2025. Data for mode 3 originates from FATS.
- The complete methodology is described in the Eurostat modes of supply compilers guide.
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The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), the first multilateral agreement to cover trade in services, defines trade in services as the supply of a service through any of 4 modes of supply:
- Mode 1 - cross-border supply: from the territory of one country into the territory of another country;
- Mode 2 - consumption abroad: in the territory of one country to the service consumer of another country;
- Mode 3 - commercial presence: by a service supplier of one country, through a commercial presence in the territory of another country. The FATS framework is designed to provide information on the activities of enterprises located in foreign markets;
- Mode 4 - presence of natural persons: by a service supplier of one country, through the presence of natural persons of that country in the territory of any other country.
- For example, legal services may be supplied to the client (customer) by 4 separate modes: legal advice is provided to the client abroad through electronic channels (mode 1), the client from abroad comes to the lawyer's office (mode 2), the lawyer establishes an affiliate abroad to provide legal services (mode 3), the lawyer goes abroad to provide the legal service to the client (mode 4).
