According to the report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in December last year industrial producer prices increased by 0.7 percent in the euro area and by 0.9 percent in the European Union member states (EU-28), month on month. As compared to December 2015, in December last year industrial producer prices rose by 1.6 percent in the euro area and by 2.4 percent in the EU-28.
In December last year compared with November 2016, prices in the energy sector increased by 2.1 percent in the euro area and by 2.7 percent in the EU-28. Prices of intermediate goods grew by 0.4 percent in both regions, month on month. Prices of non-durable goods rose by 0.4 percent in the euro area and by 0.3 percent in the EU-28 on month-on-month basis. Prices of capital goods rose by 0.1 percent both in the euro area and in the EU-28, while prices of durable goods remained stable in the euro area and increased by 0.1 percent in the EU-28, all on month-on-month basis.
In the given month, among the member states for which data are available, the largest month-on-month increases in industrial producer prices were recorded in Greece (+2.7%), the Netherlands (+2.1%), Croatia (+1.8%), Belgium and Portugal (both +1.7%). The largest decreases were observed in Estonia (-0.6%), Ireland (-0.5%) and Denmark (-0.2%), on month-on-month basis.
In December 2016 as compared to December 2015, prices in the energy sector rose by 3.9 percent in the euro area and were up by 7.2 percent in the EU-28. Prices of intermediate goods increased by 0.8 percent in the euro area and rose by one percent in the EU-28 and the prices of non-durable goods increased by 1.2 percent in the euro area, while the prices of non-durable goods rose by 1.3 percent in the EU-28, all year on year. Prices of capital goods rose by 0.6 percent in the euro area and by one percent in the EU-28, while the prices of durable goods increased by 0.8 percent in the euro area and by 0.9 percent in the EU-28, all on year-on-year basis.
Among member states for which data are available, the largest year-on-year increases were in Belgium (+8.0%), the United Kingdom (+7.2%) and the Netherlands (+5.5%). The largest year-on-year decreases were observed in Luxembourg (-6.1%), Slovakia (-1.8%), Latvia (-1.5%), and the Czech Republic and Slovenia (both -0.3%).