The course of foreign economic activity in 2003 (over 11 months) was marked by significant activity, believes the head of the Volyn Regional State Administration, Anatoliy Frantsuz. Thus, the region's foreign trade turnover over 11 months of 2003 amounted to 618.8 million US dollars, which is 44 percent more than a year earlier. At the same time, there is a simultaneous growth in export deliveries Chby 37.9 percent and import receipts Chby 47.7 percent, which in value terms amounted to 192.4 and 426.4 million US dollars respectively. The largest share in the list of products sold abroad last year was occupied by engineering products (25.5% of total exports), products of plant origin (12.9%), energy materials (11.3%), casein (7.7%), wood (7.6%), products of animal origin (6.7%), textile products (6.0%) and polymer materials (5.2%). Compared to 2002, there was growth in sales outside the customs zone of Ukraine of the following groups of goods: dairy products, vegetables and root crops, grain crops, sugar, confectionery, non-alcoholic and strong beverages, plastics, rubber and caoutchouc, sawn timber, paper and cardboard, staple fibres, textile materials, ready-made clothing, articles of stone, gypsum and cement, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, machines and instruments, furniture. In the import structure, the leading place belongs to fuel and lubricants (65.4% of the total volume of imported goods), vehicles (9.3%), polymer materials (6.4%), machines, equipment and electrical equipment (4.2%). Foreign trade operations were conducted with 82 countries, including exports of goods to 62, and imports received from 60 countries. The largest trading partner of Volyn traditionally remains the Russian Federation, which accounts for 54 percent of the total volume of foreign trade agreements. Over 17 percent of foreign trade transactions were carried out with states Chmembers of the European Union. Significant dynamism is inherent in the region's economic relations with the countries of Eastern and Central Europe, as well as the Baltics, in particular Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Lithuania and Estonia (about 17 percent). A characteristic feature of the activity of Volyn enterprises in foreign markets is the strengthening of their economic presence on the Asian (4.3%) and American (2.2%) continents, primarily due to a significant increase in the volumes of exported goods. The volumes of trade turnover with Japan, Brazil and the USA increased significantly.