Brussels, 18/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - In September 2006, the eurozone inflation rate was 1.7% compared to 2.3% in August and 2.6% for the same period of 2005. In the EU25, the rate of inflation was 1.9% compared to 2.3% in August also and 2.5% one year earlier. Compared to August 2006, annual inflation increased in four Member States and fell in twenty. The lowest annual rates were noted in Finland (0.8%), Germany (1.0%° and Sweden (1.2%), and the highest were in Latvia and Hungary (5.9% each) as well as in Slovakia (4.5%). Housing (4.0%), education (3.5%) and food products (3.3%) are the components presenting the highest annual increases, whereas communications (-3.2%), leisure and culture (0.1%) and transport (0.2%) are those with the lowest increases. Gas (+0.18 percentage point) had the strongest impact on the rise in the overall rate, followed by vegetables (+0.10), whereas transport fuel (-0.29) and telecommunications (-0.16) had the greatest downward impact. At a monthly rate, clothing (5.8%) and teaching (1.2%) had the highest rates, whereas transport (-2.0%), hotels and restaurants (-0.9%) as well as leisure and culture (-0.8%) had the lowest rates. Clothing (0.32 percentage point) had the largest upward impact and fuel for transport (-0.30) contributed most to the fall. (ab)