19/11/2024 (Agence Europe) – The annual inflation rate in the euro area was 2.0% in October, up from 1.7% in September, according to figures released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union, on Thursday 19 November. In the EU, it was 2.3%, compared with 2.1% the previous month. The lowest annual rates were observed in Slovenia (0.0%), Lithuania and Ireland (both 0.1%), while the highest rates were recorded in Romania (5.0%), Belgium and Estonia (both 4.5%). The rise in prices was weak in Italy (1.0%), moderate in Germany (1.6%) and France (1.8%), and sustained in Spain (2.4%). Compared with September, it rose in nineteen other countries. The biggest contributions to inflation came from services (+1.77 percentage points, pp), followed by food, alcohol & tobacco (+0.56 pp), industrial goods excluding energy (+0.13 pp) and energy (-0.45 pp). (MB)