Slight drop in EU production

May's seasonally-adjusted figures for construction sector production in the Euro area fell by -1,1% compared to April, while the figure was -0,9% for the whole of the EU (EU27), according to first estimates released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

In the previous month, production increased by +1,2% in the Euro area, but decreased by -0,5% in the EU27.

Compared with May 2010, output in May 2011 dropped by -1,9% in the Euro area and by -1,0% in the EU27.

On a monthly comparison of Member States with data available for May 2011, construction output fell in five and rose in eight.

The largest decreases were registered in Slovenia (-9,8%), the Netherlands (-2,3%) and Slovakia (-1,3). The highest monthly increases were to be found in Hungary (+6,5%), Poland (+3,7%) and Romania (+2,9%).

Eurostat reported that building construction decreased by -0,7% in the Euro area and by -1,3% in the EU27, after figures of +0,4% and -0,8% respectively in April.

Civil engineering fell by -1,2% in the Euro area and by -0,2% in the EU27, after +1,3% and +0,9% respectively in the previous month.

On an annual comparison among those Member States with data available for May 2011, construction output fell in nine and rose in five. The largest decreases over May 2010 were registered in Slovenia (-30,1%), Spain (-17,3%) and Bulgaria (-16,5%), and the highest increases in Poland (+24,7%), Sweden (+11,2%) and Germany (+8,0%).

Building construction fell by -3,0% on an annual basis in the Euro area and by -2,5% in the EU27, after -2,0% and -1,4% respectively in April.

Civil engineering rose by +1,6% in the Euro area and by +4,4% in the EU27, after +1,5% and +3,1% respectively in the previous month.