Luxembourg, 18/04/2002 (Agence Europe) - According to data published by Eurostat on Wednesday, the annual inflation rate in the euro zone moved from 2.4% in February to 2.5% in March 2002. A year earlier, the rate also stood at 2.5%. As for the annual inflation rate in the Union (EU15), it stood at 2.3% in March 2002, unchanged in relation to February. A year earlier, it stood at 2.2%. The annual inflation rate for the European Economic Area remained unchanged at 2.3% in March 2002.
In March, the highest annual rates were recorded in Ireland (5.1%), Greece (4.4%) and the Netherlands (4.3%). The lowest rates were recorder in the United Kingdom (1.5%), Austria and Luxembourg (1.7% each). Compared o February 2002, the annual inflation rate fell in three Member States, and rose in seven, remaining stable in five. Compared to March 2001, the steepest relative falls were in Luxembourg (3.0% to 1.7%), Portugal (5.1% to 3.3%) and Germany (2.5% to 1.9%). The steepest relative rises were seen in Sweden (1.7% to 3.0%), the United Kingdom (1.0% to 1.5%) and France (1.4% to 2.%). The lowest average rates over twelve months, including March 2002, were recorded in the United Kingdom (1.4%), France (2.0%), Luxembourg and Austria (2.2% each). The highest rates were recorded in the Netherlands (5.0%), Ireland (4.3%) and Portugal 4.1%). Finally the Communities' Statistical Office notes that annual inflation fell from 0.7% to 0.5% in Switzerland and increased from 1.1% to 1.5% in the United States. These indices are not strictly comparable with EU harmonised indices.