Luxembourg, 07/11/2001 (Agence Europe) - According to estimates published on Tuesday by Eurostat, industrial producer prices increased 0.1% in September (compared to August) not only in the euro-zone but also in the Union of Fifteen (EU15). During August, the index dropped 0.1% in both zones. Prices fell in Finland (-O.8%), and in Sweden (-0.5%) and remained stable in Luxembourg and in the Netherlands. The other Member States recorded increases of 0.1% or 0.2%.
In annual terms, compared to September 2000, industrial producer prices increased 0.7% in the euro-zone and in the Union, confirming the slowdown in price rises observed since October 2000 (this slowdown was mainly due to price variations in the energy sector: - -2.2% in the euro-zone, -1.9% in the EU15 - and in the intermediary goods sector: -0.2% in both areas. The annual rates fell in September 2001 in all Member States, except for Luxembourg. Sweden (4.6%), Luxembourg (3.3%), Germany (1.9%) and Ireland (1.4%) recorded annual variations greater than the EU average. Falls were observed in Portugal (-1.3%), Finland (-0.7%), France (-0.3%) and the United Kingdom (-0.2%).