Euro area annual inflation down to 0.9%

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union today issued the lattest figures for Februaury 2010.

The annual inflation rate for the Euro area was 0.9% in February 2010, down from 1.0% in January. A year earlier the rate was 1.2%. the monthly inflation was 0.3% in February 2010.

For the EU the annual inflation was 1.4% in February 2010, down from 1.7% in January. A year earlier the rate was 1.8%. Monthly inflation was 0.3% in February 2010.

In February 2010, the lowest annual rates were observed in Latvia (-4.3%), Ireland (-2.4%) and Lithuania (-0.6%), and the highest in Hungary (5.6%), Romania (4.5%) and Poland (3.4%). Compared with January 2010, annual inflation fell in fifteen Member States, remained stable in five and rose in five.

Spain had the average rate of 0.9%.

The lowest 12-month averages4 up to February 2010 were registered in Ireland (-2.2%), Portugal (-0.9%) and Estonia (-0.6%), and the highest in Romania (5.3%), Hungary (4.6%) and Poland (4.0%).

For the Euro area the main components with the highest annual rates in February 2010 were alcohol, tobacco and transport (both 4.3%) and miscellaneous goods & services (1.8%), while the lowest annual rates were observed for food (-1.1%), communications (-0.6%) and recreation ; culture (-0.3%)

The main components with the highest monthly rates were clothing (1.7%), recreation & culture (1.1%), communications and hotels & restaurants (both 0.4%), while the lowest were health and transport (both 0.0%)

Eurostat