31/07/2026 (Agence Europe) – The annual inflation rate in the euro area is expected to be 2.9% in July 2026, compared with 2.8% in June, according to a flash estimate published by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Friday 31 July. The highest rates were estimated in Lithuania (5.6%), Bulgaria (4.1%) and Cyprus (4.0%). The lowest were recorded in Estonia (2.0%), Malta (2.1%) and France (2.4%). According to Eurostat, inflation is strong in Spain (3.8%) and moderate in Italy (2.9%) and Germany (2.8%). As regards the main components of inflation in the euro area, energy is expected to have the highest annual rate (10.0%, compared with 8.5% in June), followed by services (3.3%, compared with 3.2% in June), food, alcohol and tobacco (1.2%, compared with 1.5% in June) and non-energy industrial goods (0.9%, compared with 0.7% in June). (BD)