According to first estimates released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in March this year the seasonally-adjusted production of the construction sector in the European Union member states (EU-27) decreased 1.1 percent as compared to February and was down by 7.2 percent compared to the same month of the previous year. In February, production had remained stable compared to the previous month.
In the euro area, the seasonally-adjusted production of the construction sector in the EU-27 in March fell 1.7 percent month on month, while decreasing by 7.9 percent compared to March 2012. In February, production had decreased by 0.3 percent compared to December 2012, according to the newly revised data.
Building construction in the EU-27 in March decreased by 0.9 percent month on month and was down 6.8 percent compared to March 2012, while civil engineering fell by 1.2 percent from February and was down eight percent as compared to March last year.
As compared to February, construction output in March increased in Romania by 2.8 percent and in Spain by 2.4 percent, while a decrease of 10.7 percent was registered in Portugal, a decline of 7.6 percent was recorded in the Czech Republic, and a decline of five percent was registered in Slovakia.