The first estimate figures for March were also much better than the one-billion-euro trade deficit posted in February by the 16 nations that use the euro currency.

February's figures were themselves revised from an earlier estimate of a two-billion-euro shortfall.

The March surplus was the first since a tiny 20-million-euro figure was reported in June 2008 before the European recession took a firm grip on the economy.

In the broader 27-nation European Union, there was also some sign of improvement, though from a lower base.

The European Union registered a 9.5-billion-euro trade deficit, down from 10.8 billion in February. -- AFP