31/08/2021 (Agence Europe) – Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 3.0% in August, up from 2.2% in July according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union on Tuesday 31 August. It was highest in Estonia (5.0%), Lithuania (4.9%) and Belgium (4.7%), and lowest in Malta (0.3%), Greece (1.2%) and Portugal (1.3%). Inflation was 3.4% in Germany, 3.3% in Spain, 2.6% in Italy, and 2.4% in France. Looking at the main components of euro area inflation, energy is expected to have the highest annual rate in August (15.4%, compared with 14.3% in July), followed by non-energy industrial goods (2.7%, compared with 0.7% in July), food, alcohol & tobacco (2.0%, compared with 1.6% in July) and services (1.1%, compared with 0.9% in July). (MB)