According to first estimates released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in January this year the seasonally-adjusted production of the construction sector in the European Union member states (EU-27) rose by 3.9 percent compared to December and was up by 6.2 percent compared to the same month of 2019. In December, production in the construction sector had contracted by 1.7 percent when compared to the previous month.
In the euro area, the seasonally-adjusted production of the construction sector in January increased by six percent compared to the same month of 2019 and was up by 3.6 percent compared to the previous month. In December, production fell by 1.8 percent compared to November, according to the newly revised data.
Building construction in the EU-27 in January rose by 3.8 percent month on month and grew by 5.3 percent year on year, while civil engineering output in the region was up by 4.7 percent from December and increased by 11.5 percent year on year. In the euro area, building construction advanced by 3.6 percent month on month and by 4.9 percent year on year, while civil engineering output in the region improved by 4.6 percent month on month and was up by 12 percent year on year.
As compared to January 2019, construction output in January 2020 increased by 47.8 percent in Romania, by 12.9 percent in Belgium and by 12 percent in Germany, while it decreased by 4.4 percent in Spain and by 2.4 percent in Hungary.
As compared to December, construction output in January this year increased by 20.9 percent in Romania, by 10.2 percent in Slovenia and by 9.3 percent in Poland, while construction output decreased by 0.3 percent in Spain.