EU-27 industrial production up 0.7 percent in February over January

Seasonally-adjusted industrial production in the European Union member states (EU-27) in February 2010 rose 0.7 percent month on month, according to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In January, industrial production in the region had increased by 1.7 percent over December 2009.
 
On the other hand, compared with February 2009, industrial production in the EU-27 in February this year improved by 3.5 percent.
 
In February this year, production of durable consumer goods in the EU-27 dropped by 0.2 percent month on month and was up 3.1 percent year on year, while production of capital goods rose by 0.6 percent over January and jumped by 3.6 percent compared to February 2009. Production of intermediate goods grew by 1.4 percent in February compared to January and was up 6.5 percent over the same month of the previous year. In addition, production of energy in the EU-27 decreased by 1.6 percent month on month, while the year-on-year increase was 0.2 percent.
 
Among the member states for which data are available, in February industrial production rose in seven member states and fell in thirteen other member states, compared to January. The highest month-on-month increases were registered in Slovenia with 6.4 percent, in Luxembourg with 3.6 percent and in Denmark with 1.8 percent; meanwhile, the most significant declines were observed in Bulgaria with 5.7 percent, in Latvia with three percent and in Greece with 2.9 percent.