Annual inflation reached 1.4% and 1.6% respectively in the euro area and the European Union in March, a decrease of 0.1 percentage point in the euro area and stable figures in the EU compared to the previous month (see EUROPE 12215/20), according to figures published by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Wednesday 17 April.
These are also rates comparable to those observed in March 2018 (see EUROPE 11994/15).
However, these overall rates hide significant disparities between the different EU Member States. For example, the lowest annual inflation rates last month were recorded in Portugal (0.8%), Greece (1.0%), Cyprus, Croatia, Finland, Ireland and Italy (1.1%). Inflation was much higher in the Netherlands (2.9%), Hungary (3.8%) and Romania (4.2%).
In terms of inflation components, energy contributed the most to price increases in the euro area between March 2018 and 2019, by 0.52 percentage points, followed by services (0.51 percentage points), food, alcohol and tobacco (0.34 percentage points), and industrial goods excluding energy (0.04 percentage points). (Original version in French by Lucas Tripoteau)