France is the EU’s largest wine exporter
- Almost one-third of the EU’s exports of alcoholic beverages come from France.
- The Netherlands is the third-largest destination in the EU for French wine and other alcoholic beverages.
- In total, the Netherlands imports goods worth 23.7 billion euros from France. This includes the quasi-transit trade.
With a 32 percent share of EU exports, France is the EU’s largest exporter of alcoholic beverages, such as wine, champagne and cognac. The Netherlands is the third-largest EU purchaser of alcoholic beverages from France. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports on this to coincide with the publication of the latest edition of the Internationalisation Monitor on France.
French exports of alcoholic beverages consist mainly of wine (45 percent), sparkling wine such as champagne (27 percent) and spirits (16 percent) including cognac and armagnac.
Almost one-third of the EU’s exports of alcoholic beverages are from France
Of all the member states of the EU, France is the largest exporter of alcoholic beverages: 15.7 billion euros, accounting for 32 percent of the EU’s exports of alcoholic beverages. Italy and Spain are also in the top three exporters. As far as spirits are concerned, France dominates EU exports with a share of 85 percent. France is also the EU’s largest exporter of wine and sparkling wine.
| Type | France (%) | Italy (%) | Spain (%) | Germany (%) | Netherlands (%) | Portugal (%) | Belgium (%) | Latvia (%) | Other (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoholic beverages | 15.7 | 10.1 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 | 11.4 | |||
| Wine | 7.0 | 5.4 | 2.4 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 1.6 | |||
| Sparkling wine | 4.2 | 2.3 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.3 | |||
| Spirits | 2.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | |||
| Source: CBS, Eurostat | |||||||||
| 1) includes quasi-transit trade | |||||||||
The Netherlands is the third-largest buyer of French wine in the EU
Within the EU, France exports alcoholic beverages mainly to Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. The Netherlands buys 11 percent of French exports to countries within the EU. The US, the UK and China are the largest export markets outside the EU. The Netherlands is a particularly important market for French wine. A total of 15 percent of French wine exported to the EU goes to the Netherlands, making the Netherlands the third-most important destination for French wine within the EU, after Germany and Belgium.
French exports of alcoholic beverages down for the third consecutive year
French exports of alcoholic beverages fell in 2025 for the third year in a row, partly due to US import tariffs. Exports to France’s traditional markets in Europe, such as the Netherlands, remains stable.
| Jaar | Spain (billion euros) | France (billion euros) | Italy (billion euros) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 3.6 | 12.6 | 6.4 |
| 2016 | 3.6 | 12.9 | 6.7 |
| 2017 | 3.8 | 14.0 | 7.2 |
| 2018 | 4.0 | 14.3 | 7.7 |
| 2019 | 3.9 | 15.1 | 8.2 |
| 2020 | 3.7 | 13.2 | 8.0 |
| 2021 | 4.2 | 16.7 | 9.2 |
| 2022 | 4.6 | 18.6 | 10.1 |
| 2023 | 4.5 | 17.6 | 10.1 |
| 2024 | 4.6 | 17.0 | 10.5 |
| 2025 | 4.5 | 15.7 | 10.1 |
| Source: CBS, Eurostat | |||
| 1) includes quasi-transit trade | |||
Wide range of goods imported from France, sharp increase in maize imports
The Netherlands imported goods worth 23.7 billion euros from France in 2025, including the quasi-transit trade. That was up by almost 6 percent on 2024. In addition to alcoholic beverages, the Netherlands imports a wide variety of goods from France, including petroleum products, various manufactured goods (such as orthopaedic aids) and medicines. Furthermore, the Netherlands imported a relatively large quantity of maize from France (to the value of 484 million euros). That was 229 million euros more than in 2024. As a result, France became the Netherlands’ largest supplier of maize, knocking Ukraine off the top spot.
| Product | Import value (million euros) |
|---|---|
| Petroleum products | 1138.1 |
| Various manufactured goods | 925.0 |
| Medicines | 753.9 |
| Perfume and cosmetics | 720.3 |
| Cars | 680.0 |
| Alcoholic beverages | 554.1 |
| Maize | 484.2 |
| Engines and motors | 466.5 |
| Pharmaceuticals | 450.2 |
| Other chemical products | 437.5 |
| Source: CBS, Eurostat | |
| 1) Natural gas is also in the top 10, but data on Dutch imports natural gas from France in 2025 is confidential. 2) includes quasi-transit trade * provisional figures | |
Internationalisation Monitor on France
In the latest edition of the Internationalisation Monitor, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) shines a spotlight on the French economy, focusing particularly on the trade relationship between the Netherlands and France. How are both countries doing when it comes to innovation, digitalisation and sustainability? The interdependence of both countries within global value chains is also discussed, as well as the two countries’ investment relationship and trade in services.