Euro outflow from the EU rises: Eurostat

ANKARA (AA) - EU residents transferred a total of €31.3 to countries outside the EU last year, most of it coming from migrants sending money back to their home countries, Eurostat said on Friday.

EU residents' total personal transfers to foreign countries rose 4.6 percent in 2015, compared to €29.9 billion in 2014.

Eurostat said that there was a €20.4 billion negative balance in personal transfers, as inflows to the EU last year totaled €11 billion.

According to Eurostat, Poland was the country with the largest surplus, at around €3 billion, followed by Portugal and Romania with surpluses of €2.8 and €1.7 billion, respectively.

In 2015 residents of France made the largest total personal transfers outside the EU at €10 billion, making for a negative balance of approximately €9.5 billion. The United Kingdom had the second-largest deficit at €5 billion and Italy was third with some €4.2 billion.