According to first estimates released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in February this year the seasonally-adjusted production of the construction sector in the European Union member states (EU-27) decreased by one percent compared to January and was down by 0.9 percent compared to the same month of 2019. In January, production in the construction sector had increased by 3.4 percent when compared to the previous month.
In the euro area, the seasonally-adjusted production of the construction sector in February decreased by 0.9 percent compared to the same month of 2019 and was down by 1.5 percent compared to the previous month. In January, production rose by four percent compared to December, according to the newly revised data.
Building construction in the EU-27 in February fell by 0.9 percent month on month and contracted by 1.7 percent year on year, while civil engineering output in the region was down by one percent from January and increased by 3.5 percent year on year. In the euro area, building construction declined by 1.4 percent month on month and by 1.9 percent year on year, while civil engineering output in the region was down by 1.6 percent month on month and improved by four percent year on year.
As compared to February 2019, construction output in February 2020 increased by 25.7 percent in Romania, by nine percent in Slovenia and by 8.4 percent in Slovakia, while it decreased by eight percent in Sweden, by 7.2 percent in Spain and by 4.4 percent in Belgium.
As compared to January, construction output in January this year increased by 6.8 percent in Slovenia, by 6.2 percent in Hungary and by 3.2 percent in Poland, while construction output decreased by 4.6 percent in Romania, by 2.4 percent in the Netherlands and 2.2 percent in Belgium.