The EU28 seasonally adjusted current account of the balance of payments recorded a surplus of €40.5 billion (1.0% of GDP) in the first quarter of 2019, up from a surplus of €40.2 billion (1.0% of GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2018 and down from a surplus of €58.3 billion (1.5% of GDP) in the first quarter of 2018, according to estimates released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.