ZAGREB, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Croatia's merchandise exports in the first five months of this year were 9 percent lower than the same period last year, and imports were down 14.4 percent, the Croatian Bureau of Statistics announced on Thursday.

The total value of Croatian merchandise exports amounted to 41.9 billion kuna (6.3 billion U.S. dollars), while imports amounted to 68.5 billion kuna (10 billion U.S. dollars).

The decrease in imports and exports is related to the COVID-19 crisis in Europe, primarily the European Union (EU) members, so Croatian exports to these countries are lower by 5.3 percent, while imports are lower by 15.5 percent.

Imports from and exports to non-EU countries have also decreased significantly.

The foreign trade deficit amounted to 3.5 billion euros (3.95 billion U.S. dollars), and the most important Croatian trade partners remain Germany and Italy.

Analysts predicted that Croatia will see a drastic drop in gross domestic product (GDP) between 15 and 20 percent in the second quarter, which will affect imports and exports in the coming months.

Croatia is among the three most affected countries in the EU by the coronavirus crisis and its GDP will drop by 10.8 percent in 2020, the biggest drop among EU members after Italy and Spain, according to a European Commission report released on Tuesday. Enditem

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