The growth in value of Dutch exports outside the European Union slackened in the first quarter of this year and fell 6% to the US, the national statistics office CBS said on Monday.

The agency said the strength of the euro, which made Dutch products more expensive outside the euro zone, was the probable cause.
But total exports rose 11% in the first three months, compared with an average of 9% in 2007 as a whole. Three-quarters of Dutch exports go elsewhere in Europe.