According to the report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in December last year industrial producer prices decreased by 0.8 percent both in the euro area and in the European Union member states (EU-28), month on month. As compared to December 2014, in December last year industrial producer prices fell by three percent both in the euro area and declined by 3.2 percent in the EU-28.
In December compared with November, prices in the energy sector decreased by 2.7 percent in the euro area and were down by 2.8 percent in the EU-28. Prices of intermediate goods decreased by 0.3 percent in both the euro area and the EU-28, month on month. Prices of capital goods remained stable in both regions, and prices of durable goods also remained unchanged in the euro area and in the EU-28, both month on month. Prices of non-durable goods decreased by 0.1 percent in both regions on month-on-month basis.
In the given month, among the member states for which data are available, the largest month-on-month decreases in industrial producer prices were recorded in the Netherlands (-3.0%), Denmark and Greece (both -2.4%) and in Belgium and Estonia (both -2.0%). The highest increases were observed in Malta and Sweden (both +0.1%) on month-on-month basis.
In December last year as compared to December 2014, prices in the energy sector fell by nine percent in the euro area and by 10.7 percent in the EU-28. Prices of intermediate goods decreased by 1.9 percent in the euro area and by 1.8 percent in the EU-28, year on year. Prices of capital goods rose by 0.5 percent in the euro area and by 0.7 percent in the EU-28, while the prices of non-durable goods decreased by 0.4 percent in the euro area and by 0.3 percent in the EU-28, all year on year. Meanwhile, the prices of durable consumer goods rose by 0.7 percent in the euro area and by 0.9 percent in the EU-28, year on year.
Among member states for which data are available, prices fell on year-on-year basis in all member states, while the largest year-on-year decreases were seen in Lithuania (-8.1%), the Netherlands (-7.7%), Cyprus (-7.0%), Denmark (-5.8%), Greece (-5.7%) and Estonia (-5.5%).