European construction grows again

Production grew in the European construction sector in October, according to seasonally-adjusted figures from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

October 2014 figures saw growth of 1.3% in the Eurozone and 0.4% in the EU28 compared with September this year, when production in construction fell by 1.0% in the Eurozone and 0.3% in the EU 28.

For October 2014 compared with October 2013, production in construction grew by 1.4% in the Eurozone and by 1.5% in the EU28.

Eurostat said the increase of 1.3% in the Eurozone in October 2014 over the previous month was a result of building construction rising by 1.4% and civil engineering by 0.3%.

In the EU28, the increase of 0.4% was because of building construction rising by 0.4% and civil engineering by 0.2%.

Among Member States with available data, the largest increases in production in construction were seen in Hungary, at 4.0%; Italy, 3.2%; and the Netherlands, 2.2%.

The largest decreases were Romania, with a fall of 6.1%, and the UK where it dropped 2.2%.

The increase of 1.4% in the Eurozone for October 2014, compared with the same month in 2013, was said to be a result of building construction rising by 1.8%, although civil engineering fell by 0.4%.

In the EU28, the annual increase of 1.5% was attributed to building construction rising by 2.3%, while civil engineering fell by 1.5%. The highest annual increases in construction production were again seen in Hungary, up 15.8%, while Spain rose 13.9% and Sweden 10.5%.

The largest annual decreases were recorded in Romania, at 11.3% down, while a 5.7% fall was seen in Portugal, a drop of 4.3% in Italy and Slovakia was 4.2% below October last year.