Brussels, 19/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - The annual inflation rates in the eurozone and the European Union stood at 0.0% in April, compared to -0.1% in March, according to figures published by the statistical office of the EU (Eurostat) on Tuesday 19 May.
In April 2015, negative annual rates were observed in 12 member states: Greece (-1.8%), Cyprus (-1.7%), Bulgaria and Poland (-0.9% each), Spain and Slovenia (-0.7% each), Lithuania (-0.6%), Ireland (-0.4%), Croatia, Italy, Slovakia and Finland (-0.1% each). Inflation was zero in four countries: Luxembourg, Hungary, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The highest annual rates were to be seen in Malta (1.4%) and Austria (0.9%). Compared to March 2015, inflation was down in nine member states, remained stable in one other and rose in 17.
The largest upward impacts to eurozone annual inflation came from restaurants & cafes (+0.10%), rent (+0.08%) and vegetables (+0.07%), whilst fuels for transport (-0.42%), heating oil (-0.17%) and gas (-0.07%) had the biggest downward impacts. (Mathieu Bion)