Luxembourg, 06/06/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to estimates published on Tuesday by Eurostat for the month of April 2001, industrial producer prices rose 0.3% compared to the month of March in the Euro zone. They rose 0.1% in March compared to February. Moreover, the prices rose 0.2% in the European Union (EU15) in April, after having remained stable in March.
In April, the development in the various sectors was similar both in the Euro zone as in the EU 15. Prices for non-durable consumer goods and capital goods respectively rose 1.3% and 0.1% in the two zones. Prices for intermediate goods rose 0.4% in the Euro zone and 0.3% in the EU 15. The index for durable consumer goods rose 0.2% in the Euro zone and 0.1% in the Union. Germany, Finland, Sweden and France recorded increase located between 0.4 and 0.5%, or figures above the EU average. On the other hand, prices fell in the United Kingdom (-0.4%), in Luxembourg (-0.4%), in the Netherlands (-0.3%), in Portugal (-0.2%) and in Spain (-0.1%).
In annual terms, industrial producer prices rose in April 2001 from 4.1% in the Euro zone and 3.6% in the EU 15 (compared to the month of April 2000), the prices for intermediate goods rose more than average (5.7% in the Euro zone and 5.4% in the EU 15). Moreover, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Ireland and Finland recorded rates above the EU average (scaled between 3.7% and 6%), while Portugal, France, Sweden, Spain, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom recorded an increase below this average (between 3.2% and 1.1%).