ROME: Italy posted a trade surplus of 2.715 billion euros with countries outside the European Union in November, compared with a surplus of 2.343 billion euros in the same month last year, national statistics agency ISTAT said on Monday.

Exports rose 2.6 percent year-on-year in November, while imports edged up 0.1 percent, ISTAT said.

In the first 11 months of the year, Italy registered a non-EU trade surplus of 22.795 billion euros. Net of energy products, it posted a Jan-Nov trade surplus of 59.5 billion euros. Italy is heavily dependent on imports for its energy needs.

Copyright Reuters, 2014