Percentage of UK trade with the European Union

Percentage of UK trade with the European Union from 1973..

Joining the EEC in 1973 shifted the direction of UK trade away from former trading partners and towards the countries in the European Community.

In 1973 the percentage of trade with the EEC was about 30% (From 2004 LSE data at http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/CP163.pdf)
By 1990 this was about 42%
By 1999 this had increased further to 54.8%
In 2014 it had dropped to 44.6%
In the first half of 2016 the figure is: 47.9% EU Exports

During January 2015 to June 2016 the proportion of total exports to the EU has ranged from 38 per cent to 49 per cent.
In the same period Imports from the EU has ranged between 47 per cent and 56 per cent, with June 2016 being 51%.

The Top Five Trading partners (Exports) during June 2016 were:

£4.1 bn USA
£2.8 bn Germany
£1.7 bn France
£1.6 bn Netherlands
£1.4 bn Ireland

The Top Five Trading partners (Imports) during June 2016 were:

£5.6 bn Germany
£3.2 bn USA
£3.0 bn France
£3.0 bn China
£2.6 bn Switzerland

The effect of Trade with Europe after joining the Union in 1973

From 1973 the major trading port of Liverpool suffered a major decline due to the Southern Ports dealing with the increasing trade with Europe.
The port of Dover however went from 5.6% of UK export share in 1971 to 19.4% in 1991.

Members of the European Union

Initial Members: (European Economic Community [EEC])

Luxembourg
Italy
Netherlands
Germany
Belgium
France

Joined in 1973

Ireland
United Kingdom
Denmark

Joined in 1980’s

Greece
Portugal
Spain

Joined in 1990’s

Austria
Finland
Sweden

Joined in 2000’s

Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia
Bulgaria
Romania

Joined 2010’s

Croatia

Names of the European Economic Community

1957 European Economic Community [EEC]
1967 European Communities [EC]
1993 European Union [EU]