Brussels, 18/08/2005 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat forecasts published last week industrial production up by 0.3% in euro-zone and EU25 (when growth stood at 0.5% in the two zones compares to the fourth quarter of 2004). Compared to the second quarter of 2004, growth was 1.2% in the euro-zone and 1.3% in the EU25 (1.5% and 1.6% respectively in the first quarter). In quarterly terms, in the second quarter of 2005 growth clearly superseded the average in Lithuania (2.1%), Netherlands (1.2%), Spain, France and Ireland (0.9% in the three examples), Italy (0.7%), but remained stable in Germany and Estonia and negative in Finland (-1.2%) Greece (-0.5%). In the USA, growth stood at 0.8% in quarterly terms and 3.6% in annual terms.
According to a press release the European Commission indicator (the model for forecasting quarterly growth developed by the Economic and Financial Affairs Directorate at the European Commission) forecasts growth in the euro-zone during the third quarter of 2005, in GDP of between 0.2% and 0.6%, and growth in the fourth quarter of between 0.4% and 0.8, due to the staggered effects of interest rates and an improvement in the international economic situation.