01/09/2026 (Agence Europe) – Annual inflation in the euro area is estimated at 3.3% in August 2026, compared with 2.9% in July, according to a flash estimate published by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat) on Tuesday 1 September. The highest rates were estimated in Lithuania (5.8%), Cyprus (5.2%) and Bulgaria (5.1%). The lowest are expected to be recorded in Estonia (1.3%), Malta (1.9%) and Finland (2.4%). According to Eurostat, inflation is expected to be strong in Spain (4.5%) and Italy (3.2%), and moderate in Germany (2.9%) and France (2.7%). As regards the main components of inflation in the euro area, energy is expected to post the highest annual rate in August (14.3%, compared with 10.3% in July), followed by services (3.0%, compared with 3.3%), non-energy industrial goods (1.2%, compared with 0.9%) and food, alcohol and tobacco (1.2%). (BD)