EU malt exports in 2003 amounted 2.4 million tonnes. Licence bookings in July-June were 2.432 million tonnes, which included 45,000 tonnes booked in the new member countries after their accession on May 1, of this year. Statistics will change now. Of the 2.4 million tonnes of EU exports to third countries, 130,000 tonnes were destined to the new EU-10. Of the total exports of 490,000 tonnes by the EU-10 only 270,000 tonnes went to third countries, 220,000 tonnes remained in todays EU-25. Therefore exports to third countries of 2.54 million tonnes in 2004/05 would match last years performance. Licence fixations until November 30 were 1.04 tonnes. At the same pace of bookings until June 30, 2005, the licenced export quantity would reach 2.5 million tonnes. It is hoped that larger exports to Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America will make up for part of the threatening losses of sales to Russia and Japan. It comes as a surprise, though, that Russian malt imports in January-September of this year were 474,000 tonnes, i.e. 40,000 tonnes more than a year ago.