EU-27 monthly industrial production up 1.2 percent in March

Seasonally-adjusted industrial production in the European Union member states (EU-27) in March 2010 rose 1.2 percent month on month, according to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In February, industrial production in the region had increased by 0.5 percent over January.
 
On the other hand, compared with March 2009, industrial production in the EU-27 in March this year improved by six percent.
 
In March this year, production of durable consumer goods in the EU-27 remained unchanged as compared to the previous month and was up 3.8 percent year on year, while production of intermediate goods grew by 0.8 percent in March compared to February and was up 10.6 percent over the same month of the previous year. In addition, production of energy in the EU-27 decreased by 0.2 percent month on month, while the year-on-year increase was 2.9 percent.
 
Among the member states for which data are available, in March industrial production rose in seventeen member states and fell in four other member states, compared to February. The highest month-on-month increases were registered in Latvia with 9.9 percent, in Portugal with 7.2 percent and in Estonia with 3.8 percent; meanwhile, the most significant declines were observed in Ireland with 2.6 percent and in the Netherlands with two percent.