According to the first estimations released on December 3 by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in the third quarter of 2009 the gross domestic product (GDP) in the European Union member states (EU-27) increased by 0.3 percent quarter on quarter. In the second quarter of 2009, the GDP of the EU-27 had declined by 0.3 percent over the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, compared with the third quarter of 2008, the seasonally adjusted GDP decreased by 4.3 percent in the EU-27, following a year-on-year decrease of five percent in the second quarter of this year.
As regards certain components of the GDP of the EU-27, the household final consumption expenditure slightly decreased, by 0.2 percent, in the third quarter, investments fell by 0.5 percent, while exports increased by 2.4 percent, with imports up by 2.4 percent, all compared to Q2 2009.