According to the report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in March this year industrial producer prices increased by 0.2 percent in both the euro area and in the European Union member states (EU-28), month on month. As compared to March 2014, industrial producer prices fell by 2.3 percent in the euro area and by 2.8 percent in the EU-28.
In March this year, prices in the energy sector increased by 0.5 percent in the euro area and by 0.7 percent in the EU-28, month on month. Prices of intermediate goods increased by 0.2 percent in both the euro area and in the EU-28, month on month. Prices of capital goods increased by 0.1 percent in both the euro area and in the EU-28, while the prices of durable and non-durable goods increased by 0.1 percent in both zones, all month on month.
In the given month, among the member states for which data are available, the largest month-on-month decreases in industrial producer prices were recorded in Cyprus (-3.3%), Denmark (-0.8%) and Latvia (-0.7%), while the largest increases in prices were observed in Ireland (+2.6%), Belgium (+1.7%) and Croatia (+1.2%).
In March this year as compared to March 2014, prices in overall industry excluding the energy sector decreased by 0.5 percent in both the euro area and in the EU-28. Prices in the energy sector fell by 6.8 percent in the euro area and by 10 percent in the EU-28, year on year. Prices of intermediate goods decreased by 1.3 percent in the euro area and by 1.2 percent in the EU-28, year on year. Prices of capital goods rose by 0.7 percent in both the euro area and in the EU-28, while the prices of non-durable goods decreased by 0.9 percent in the euro area and were down one percent in the EU-28, all year on year. Meanwhile, the prices of durable consumer goods rose by one percent in the euro area and by 0.8 percent in the EU-28, year on year.
Among member states for which data are available, the biggest year-on-year increases in the overall index were observed in Luxembourg (+1.2%) and Romania (+0.1%), with prices in Slovenia and Sweden remaining stable, while the largest decreases were seen in Lithuania (-9.1%), the United Kingdom (-7.6%), the Netherlands (-6.5%), Denmark (-5.7%), Cyprus (-5.5%) and Belgium (-4.6%).