An increase in imports enlarged French trade gap to 6 billion euros (7.18 billion U.S. dollars) at the end of July versus 4.9 billion euros of deficit recorded a month earlier, data from national customs office showed on Thursday.
"Without export support, deterioration of aeronautical, chemical and space industries' trade balance is strong due to particularly high supplies of turbojets and products for nuclear industry and the acquisition of a module for weather satellite," the office said in a monthly report.
The country's total imports stood at 45.3 billion euros, up by 3 percent while sales abroad amounted 39.3 billion euros, slightly up by 0.5 percent over the period from June data, it added.
For the past 12 months, the cumulated trade deficit widened to 62.5 billion euros in total compared to 48.3 billion euros in 2016, according to the office.(1 euro = 1.197 U.S. dollar)