03/06/25 (Agence Europe) – Euro area annual inflation is expected to be 1.9% in May, up from 2.2% in April, according to a flash estimate published by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Tuesday 3 May. This rate was highest in Estonia (4.6%), Croatia and Slovakia (both 4.3%). It was lowest in Cyprus (0.4%), France (0.6%) and Ireland (1.4%). Inflation was moderate in Spain and Italy (both 1.9%) and Germany (2.1%). In terms of the main components of inflation, the food/alcohol/tobacco sector is expected to record the highest annual rate in May (3.3%), followed by services (3.2%). According to Eurostat, the seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate in the euro area was 6.2% in April, compared with 6.3% in March. In the EU, unemployment reached 5.9% of the working population in April, i.e. 12.9 million people, including 10.680 million in the euro area. (MB)