On May 1 ten countries joined the European Union. In 2002 the EU shipped 100,000 tonnes of malt to these countries. The Czech Republic exported 213,000 tonnes in 2003, however, only 85-90,000 tonnes outside the expanded EU. Also Slovakia’s exports were 207,000 tonnes, of which more than half inside the new EU. The largest customer of both countries has been Poland, 86,000 tonnes from the Czech Republic, and a similar amount from Slovakia, analysts revealed in a statement.

19 May, 2004