Brussels, 15/09/2010 (Agence Europe) - According to the figures published on Wednesday 15 September by Eurostat, the annual inflation rate of the eurozone stood at 1.6% in August 2010, compared to 1.7% a month earlier. One year previously, the figure was -0.2%. The monthly inflation rate was 0.2% in August 2010. The annual inflation rate of the EU was 2.0% in August 2010, compared to 2.1% in July. The rate one year earlier was 0.6%. The monthly inflation rate was 0.2% in August 2010.
In August 2010, the lowest annual rates were observed in Ireland (-1.2%), Latvia (-0.4%) and in Germany (1.0%), and the highest in Romania (7.6%), Greece (5.6%) and in Hungary (3.6%). Compared to July 2010, the annual inflation rose in ten member states, remained stable in nine and fell in eight. The average rates over the 12 months to August 2010 were lowest in Ireland (-2.3%), Latvia (-2.0%) and Portugal and Slovakia (0.3% each), and highest in Hungary and Romania (5.0% each) and in Greece (3.5%). The main components presenting the highest annual rates in August 2010 were alcoholic beverages and tobacco and transports (3.3% each) and housing (2.6%), whilst the lowest annual rates were observed for communications (-0.5%), leisure and culture (-0.1%) and for articles of clothing (0.2%). As regards the detailed sub-indicators, fuel for transport (+0.31 percentage point), liquid combustibles (+0.13) and vegetables (+0.08) had the greatest upwards impacts on the overall rate, whilst clothing (-0.08) and telecommunications (-0.07) had the greatest downwards impacts. (L.C./transl.fl)