Trade in a Bottle: Identifying Import Bottlenecks in International Trade

Country Matrix

For 2025, the matrix below shows European Union's number of import bottlenecks for different combinations of minimum import share (%) and minimum import value (USD). Red parentheses show bottlenecks from Danger Zone countries, and lime square brackets show bottlenecks involving Critical Goods.

European Union

Year: 2025(79 in Danger Zone)[7 Critical Goods]
6-digit HS codes4-digit HS codes2-digit HS codes
Value \ Share>= 30%>= 40%>= 50%>= 60%>= 70%>= 80%>= 90%
>= 10 mln USD3545(79)[7]2531(44)[6]1744(32)[4]1185(18)[3]774(12)[2]478(8)[1]193(4)
>= 50 mln USD2014(48)[6]1455(26)[5]999(19)[3]690(11)[2]469(7)[1]294(5)[1]110(2)
>= 100 mln USD1377(32)[4]1003(20)[4]689(14)[3]479(9)[2]323(6)[1]199(4)[1]71(2)
>= 200 mln USD849(20)[3]631(15)[3]433(10)[3]313(7)[2]210(5)[1]121(3)[1]42(2)
>= 500 mln USD375(8)[2]286(6)[2]210(5)[2]150(4)[1]101(3)59(2)22(2)
Danger ZoneCritical GoodsCritical and in Danger

Danger Zone Bottlenecks (79 records, >= 30% share, >= 10 mln USD)

#Partner HS Code HS DescriptionYearShare (%) Value (USD)
1Russian Federation750110Nickel; nickel mattes202599.97%724,923,895
2Russian Federation720150Iron; alloy pig iron; spiegeleisen, in pigs, blocks or other primary forms202599.61%10,898,649
3Russian Federation030332Fish; frozen, plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), excluding fillets, fish meat of 0304, and edible fish offal of subheadings 0303.91 to 0303.99202595.98%10,508,365
4Ukraine151211Vegetable oils; sunflower seed or safflower oil and their fractions, crude, not chemically modified202593.72%2,417,384,691
5Iran091020Spices; saffron202588.33%81,517,302
6Ukraine151219Vegetable oils; sunflower seed or safflower oil and their fractions, other than crude, whether or not refined, but not chemically modified202583.63%408,490,128
7Saudi Arabia290211Cyclic hydrocarbons; cyclohexane202582.71%187,632,765
8Ukraine860692Railway or tramway goods vans and wagons; open, with non-removable sides of a height exceeding 60cm, not self-propelled202581.30%12,461,235
9Ukraine040299Dairy produce; milk and cream, containing added sugar or other sweetening matter, other than in powder, granules or other solid forms202578.43%15,243,806
10Ukraine020713Meat and edible offal; of fowls of the species Gallus domesticus, cuts and offal, fresh or chilled202575.93%228,078,715
11Ukraine150710Vegetable oils; soya-bean oil and its fractions, crude, whether or not degummed, not chemically modified202573.29%564,103,752
12Ukraine440111Wood; for fuel, in logs, in billets, in twigs, in faggots or similar forms, whether or not agglomerated, coniferous202572.00%13,628,189
13Russian Federation840130Fuel elements (cartridges); non-irradiated202568.86%525,173,587
14Ukraine151411Vegetable oils; low erucic acid rape or colza oil and its fractions, crude202567.70%305,246,977
15Ukraine040721Birds' eggs, in shell; fresh, not for incubation, of fowls of the species Gallus domesticus (domestic hens)202567.01%183,617,141
16Russian Federation282530Vanadium oxides and hydroxides202564.67%86,383,226
17Ukraine440132Wood; for fuel, sawdust and wood waste and scrap, agglomerated in wood briquettes202563.02%27,543,313
18Saudi Arabia292215Amino-alcohols, other than those containing more than one kind of oxygen function; their ethers and esters; salts thereof, triethanolamine202562.80%26,585,169
19Ukraine151491Vegetable oils; excluding low erucic acid rape or colza oil and its fractions, crude202558.67%45,634,216
20Ukraine440795Wood; ash (Fraxinus spp.), sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or finger-jointed, thicker than 6mm202558.11%20,346,233
21Saudi Arabia290941Ether-alcohols and their halogenated, sulphonated, nitrated or nitrosated derivatives; 2,2-oxydiethanol (diethylene glycol, digol)202557.97%76,805,552
22Saudi Arabia290243Cyclic hydrocarbons; p-xylene202557.59%80,470,677
23Russian Federation720712Iron or non-alloy steel; semi-finished products of iron or non-alloy steel; containing by weight less than 0.25% of carbon, of rectangular (other than square) cross-section202555.85%1,838,595,743
24Ukraine440890Wood; n.e.c. in heading no. 4408, sheets for veneer or plywood, other wood sawn lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or end-jointed, not exceeding 6mm in thickness202555.14%233,292,647
25Iran070956Vegetables; truffles (Tuber spp.), fresh or chilled202554.74%11,584,331
26Ukraine020712Meat and edible offal; of fowls of the species Gallus domesticus, not cut in pieces, frozen202554.14%21,473,147
27United Arab Emirates540490Filament, synthetic; strip and the like (e.g.. artificial straw), of synthetic textile materials of an apparent width not exceeding 5mm202554.00%63,373,768
28Ukraine020727Meat and edible offal; of turkeys, cuts and offal, frozen202553.99%19,736,109
29Ukraine230630Oil-cake and other solid residues; whether or not ground or in the form of pellets, resulting from the extraction of sunflower seed oils202553.43%332,115,211
30Ukraine440410Wood; coniferous, split poles, piles, pickets, stakes, pointed but not sawn lengthwise; sticks for umbrellas, tool handles etc, roughly trimmed but not turned or bent; chipwood etc, hoopwood202551.03%13,662,417
31Saudi Arabia290531Alcohols; acyclic, diols; ethylene glycol (ethanediol)202550.78%136,671,505
32Ukraine730439Iron or non-alloy steel (excluding cast iron); seamless, (excluding cold-drawn or cold-rolled), tubes, pipes and hollow profiles of circular cross-section202550.29%140,010,931
33United Arab Emirates841940Distilling or rectifying plant; not used for domestic purposes202546.39%57,085,037
34United Arab Emirates840410Boilers; auxiliary plant, for use with boilers of heading no. 8402 or 8403 (e.g. economisers, super-heaters, soot removers, gas recoverers)202546.28%23,816,370
35Saudi Arabia290250Cyclic hydrocarbons; styrene202545.45%468,837,430
36Ukraine040891Eggs; birds' eggs (not in shell, excluding yolks only), dried, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter202545.26%29,816,289
37Ukraine150190Poultry fat; other than that of heading 0209 or 1503202544.79%28,352,273
38Ukraine100590Cereals; maize (corn), other than seed202542.76%1,938,340,935
39Russian Federation310520Fertilizers, mineral or chemical; containing the three fertilizing elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium202542.69%491,120,529
40Ukraine440711Wood; coniferous species, of pine (Pinus spp.), sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or finger-jointed, of a thickness exceeding 6mm202542.59%156,712,275
41Ukraine720711Iron or non-alloy steel; semi-finished products of iron or non-alloy steel; containing by weight less than 0.25% of carbon, of rectangular (including square) cross-section, width less than twice thickness202542.26%456,575,020
42Ukraine110429Cereal grains; worked, other than rolled or flaked (e.g. Hulled, pearled, sliced or kibbled) of cereals, excluding oats and maize, and rice of heading no.1006202542.11%10,279,472
43Russian Federation030475Fish fillets; frozen, Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma)202541.97%354,669,896
44Russian Federation284610Cerium compounds202541.21%12,191,475
45Russian Federation281610Hydroxide and peroxide of magnesium202539.77%17,504,786
46Ukraine730449Steel, stainless; (excluding cold-drawn or cold-rolled), tubes pipes and hollow profiles of circular cross-section202539.70%38,305,418
47Russian Federation283526Phosphates; of calcium n.e.c. in item no. 2835.25, whether or not chemically defined202539.35%79,229,721
48Ukraine441012Oriented strand board (OSB) of wood, whether or not agglomerated with resins or other organic binding substances202539.24%34,750,809
49Ukraine020714Meat and edible offal; of fowls of the species Gallus domesticus, cuts and offal, frozen202539.06%246,491,683
50Ukraine950611Skis; for snow202538.39%44,807,104
51Russian Federation310240Fertilizers, mineral or chemical; ammonium nitrate with calcium carbonate or other inorganic non-fertilizing substances, mixtures thereof202538.28%74,626,282
52Ukraine081120Fruit, edible; raspberries, blackberries, mulberries, loganberries, black, white or red currants and gooseberries, uncooked or cooked, whether or not containing added sugar or other sweetening matter202538.22%254,554,948
53Russian Federation310559Fertilizers, mineral or chemical; containing the two fertilizing elements nitrogen and phosphorus, other than nitrates and phosphates202537.72%83,511,370
54Ukraine250830Clays (excluding expanded clays of heading no. 6806); fireclay, whether or not calcined202537.65%34,767,731
55Russian Federation030363Fish; frozen, cod (Gadus morhua, Gadus ogac, Gadus macrocephalus), excluding fillets, fish meat of 0304, and edible fish offal of subheadings 0303.91 to 0303.99202537.12%165,673,053
56Ukraine071310Vegetables, leguminous; peas (pisum sativum), shelled, whether or not skinned or split, dried202536.74%22,748,643
57Saudi Arabia262019Slag, ash and residues; (not from the manufacture of iron or steel), containing mainly zinc, other than hard zinc spelter202536.52%50,639,325
58Saudi Arabia550340Fibres; synthetic staple fibres, of polypropylene, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning202536.41%24,100,826
59Ukraine441233Plywood; with sheets of wood only; not bamboo; each ply 6mm or less, with at least one outer ply of alder, ash, beech, birch, cherry, chestnut, elm, eucalyptus, hickory, horse chestnut, lime, maple, oak, plane, poplar, aspen, robinia, tulipwood or walnut202536.34%192,898,733
60Ukraine441520Wood; pallets, box pallets and other load boards; pallet collars202536.08%133,445,885
61Qatar280429Gases, rare; other than argon202535.67%193,931,380
62Russian Federation740610Copper; powders of non-lamellar structure202535.57%38,202,379
63Iran130212Vegetable saps and extracts; of liquorice202534.87%14,446,018
64Ukraine100199Cereals; wheat and meslin, other than durum wheat, other than seed202534.08%512,206,914
65Saudi Arabia390210Propylene, other olefin polymers; polypropylene in primary forms202533.42%633,645,292
66Ukraine250840Clays (excluding expanded clays of heading no. 6806); n.e.c. in heading no. 2508, whether or not calcined202533.25%57,253,903
67Ukraine350110Casein202533.11%20,838,391
68Ukraine100510Cereals; maize (corn), seed202533.01%53,094,983
69Saudi Arabia290711Monophenols; phenol (hydroxybenzene) and its salts202532.63%25,767,950
70Ukraine721710Iron or non-alloy steel; wire, (not plated or coated), whether or not polished202532.48%76,601,355
71Russian Federation251010Natural calcium phosphates, natural aluminium calcium phosphates and phosphatic chalk; unground202531.52%80,718,273
72Qatar293361Heterocyclic compounds; containing an unfused triazine ring (whether or not hydrogenated) in the structure, melamine202531.50%69,643,522
73Ukraine440791Wood; oak (Quercus spp.), sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, sanded or finger-jointed, thicker than 6mm202531.42%65,540,085
74Ukraine040210Dairy produce; milk and cream, concentrated or containing added sugar or other sweetening matter, in powder, granules or other solid forms, of a fat content not exceeding 1.5% (by weight)202531.18%38,752,920
75Ukraine860719Railway or tramway locomotives or rolling stock; parts, axles and wheels, and parts thereof202530.69%120,299,690
76Russian Federation281410Ammonia; anhydrous202530.46%471,935,089
77Saudi Arabia292211Amino-alcohols, other than those containing more than one kind of oxygen function; their ethers and esters; salts thereof, monoethanolamine and its salts202530.30%12,240,672
78Russian Federation251020Natural calcium phosphates, natural aluminium calcium phosphates and phosphatic chalk; ground202530.20%150,948,944
79Ukraine040900Honey; natural202530.10%122,961,779

Partner frequency summary:

Ukraine: 42 occurrences

Russian Federation: 18 occurrences

Saudi Arabia: 11 occurrences

Iran: 3 occurrences

United Arab Emirates: 3 occurrences

Qatar: 2 occurrences

Legend:

(n)

The number in red parentheses indicates bottlenecks from countries flagged in the Danger Zone.

[n]

The number in lime square brackets indicates bottlenecks involving HS codes flagged in Critical Goods.