BRUSSELS, July 23 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) external current account recorded a deficit of 26.5 billion euros (about 41.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of 2008, the EU statistical service Eurostat said Wednesday.

    A deficit of 30.4 billion (47.7 billion dollars) was recorded in the first three months of 2007 while a deficit of 7.3 billion (11.46 billion dollars) in the fourth quarter of 2007,

    In the first quarter of 2008, compared with the first quarter of last year, the deficit of the goods account rose from 44.3 billion euros (69.5 billion dollars) to 53.7 billion euros (84.3 billion dollars), while the surplus of the services account decreased slightly to 17.4 billion euros (27.3 billion dollars) from 18.9 billion euros (29.6 billion dollars).

    The surplus recorded in the services account is mainly the result of surpluses in financial services; other business services, which includes miscellaneous business, professional and technical services, computer and information services and transportation.

    In the first quarter of 2008, the EU external current account recorded a surplus with the United States, Switzerland, Canada and Hong Kong, China.