Euro area fall

A fall of -0,4% is estimated for the Euro area in August's seasonally-adjusted production figures in the construction sector compared with the previous month, but there was a rise of +0,3% over the 27 Member States (EU27) that make up the European Union.

Production decreased by -3,2% and -2,5% respectively in July.

These first estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the EU, also found that compared with August 2009, output in August 2010 dropped by -8,5% in the Euro area and by -1,3% in the EU27.

According to Eurostat, monthly construction output rose in eight and fell in five of the Member States for which data are available for August. The highest monthly increases were registered in Slovenia (+5,2%), Poland (+3,6%) and the UK (+2,7%), and the largest decreases in the Netherlands (-2,6%), Spain (-1,8%) and Romania (-1,3%).

In a monthly comparison, building construction fell in August by 1,7% in the Euro area (-6,7% in July), but increased by +1,0% the EU27 (-4,9% in July). Civil engineering decreased by -0,7% in the Euro area and by -0,2% in the EU27, after -2,3% and -1,7% falls respectively in the previous month.

In an annual comparison for the Member States for which data are available for August 2010, construction output fell in ten and rose in three. The largest decreases were registered in Spain (-34,7%), Romania (-20,4%) and the Netherlands (-14,1%). Increases were recorded in the UK (+15,6%), Poland (+8,6%) and Germany (+1,7%).

The annual comparison showed that building construction decreased by -6,9% in the Euro area (-6,6% in July), but increased by +0,4% in the EU27 (-1,5% in July). Civil engineering dropped by -13,1% in the Euro area and by -6,3% in the EU27, after -7,5% and -2,8% drops respectively recorded in the previous month.