According to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in May this year in the European Union member states (EU-27) industrial producer prices were down by 0.3 percent compared with April. In May this year as compared with May 2010, industrial producer prices rose by 7.1 percent in the EU-27.
In May 2011, compared with the previous month, prices in overall industry excluding the energy sector increased by 0.2 percent in the EU-27, while prices in the energy sector fell by 1.1 percent. Meanwhile, in May in the EU-27, prices of intermediate goods rose by 0.3 percent, prices of durable consumer goods and of capital goods remained stable all on year-on-year basis. Non-durable consumer goods rose by 0.3 percent in the EU-27 in the month in question.
Among the member states for which data are available, the highest month-on-month increases in the overall index were recorded in Cyprus (+1.8%), Latvia (+1.3%), Ireland and Lithuania (both +1.2%) and Denmark (+1.1%), while the highest month-on-month decreases was recorded in Greece (-1.4%), Sweden and the United Kingdom (both -1.1%) and France (-0.5%). In Germany, Malta, Romania and Finland prices remained stable.
In May this year, prices in the total industry excluding the energy sector increased by 4.3 percent year on year in the EU-27, while prices in the energy sector gained 13.7 percent, intermediate goods rose by 6.8 percent, non-durable consumer goods increased by 4.1 percent, durable consumer goods rose by 1.8 percent and capital goods gained 1.3 percent, all compared to the same month last year.
Among member states for which data are available, the largest year-on-year increases in the overall index were observed in the United Kingdom (+11.9%), Denmark (+10.8%), the Netherlands (+10.7%) and Bulgaria (+10.0%), and the smallest in Malta (+0.8%), Sweden (+2.3%), Hungary and Slovakia (both +3.2%).