24/08/2026 (Agence Europe) – Annual inflation in the euro area stood at 2.9% in July, compared with 2.8% in May, according to figures published by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Wednesday 19 August. Annual inflation in the EU stood at 3.0%. The lowest annual rates were recorded in Sweden (0.3%), the Czech Republic (1.3%), Denmark and Hungary (1.6%). The highest annual rates were recorded in Romania (8.2%), Lithuania (5.4%), Cyprus and Bulgaria (4.4%). Inflation was moderate in France (2.4%), Germany (2.8%) and Italy (2.9%), and strong in Spain (3.9%). Services (+1.55 percentage points, pp), energy (+0.94 pp), non-energy industrial goods (+0.23 pp), and food, alcohol and tobacco (+0.23 pp) made a positive contribution to the annual inflation rate in the euro area. (BD)