Brussels, 22/08/2003 (Agence Europe) - During the year 2002, real growth in GDP reached 1.0% in the EU15 and 0.8% in the euro zone, slowing down compared to the rates of 1.6% and 1.5% respectively recorded in 2001, the EU's Statistical Office, Eurostat, states in a study on growth, the size and the contribution of GDP components in economic growth. Compared to 2001, the lower growth of GDP recorded throughout the EU is due to a weakening of internal demand. This development can be explained by the significant fall in investment which fell by 2.6% in 2002 in contraction for the second year running in both EU15 and the euro zone. As far as another GDP component, the external trade balance, is concerned, Eurostat notes that after the dynamic period which had characterised exports and imports during the year 2000, external trade went through a slowdown in growth in 2001 and grew worse in 2002: the real rate of growth of exports in goods and services (including trade between member States) thus fell to 1.0% in the EU15 and to 1.2% in the euro zone, like imports which declined by 0.1% and 0.4% respectively.