Europe’s construction output sinks again
By Helen Wright17 May 2013
Construction output across all European member states (EU27) dropped 7.2% year-on-year in March and 7.9% within the Eurozone, according to the latest data from Eurostat.
The figures come after data for February showed a 0.8% increase in construction output from the Eurozone, but a 1.1% drop in the EU27, after 13 consecutive months of unbroken declines.
The strongest year-on-year declines in March were seen in Slovenia (31.8%), the Czech Republic (19%), Poland (16.9%) and Portugal (16.7%). The highest increases were registered in Spain (16.6%) and Hungary (9.9%).
In terms of sectors, building construction decreased 7.1% year-on-year in the Eurozone in March and 6.8% in the EU27, while civil engineering output fell 11.3% in the Eurozone and 8% in the EU27.
A month-on-month comparison also showed falling construction output. Compared with February, March’s construction output fell 1.7% in the Eurozone and 1.1% in the EU27, with the strongest declines reported in Portugal (10.7%), the Czech Republic (7.6%) and Slovakia (5%). The highest increases were seen in Romania (2.8%) and Spain (2.4%).
Building construction output decreased 1.4% month-on-month in the Eurozone and 0.9% in the EU27, while civil engineering output fell 2.4% and 1.2% respectively.
