Data released by Eurostat indicates that seasonally adjusted production in the EU28 declined by 0.3% m/m in June 2014, according to first estimates. In the euro area (EA18), construction in production was 0.7% lower than it was in May. The contraction compares to a decrease of 1.4% m/m in both zones in May 2014.
Building construction dropped by 0.9% m/m and 0.3% m/m in the euro area and EU28, respectively, while civil engineering was down by 0.5% and 0.2%. Hungary (-7.5%), Spain (-2.9%), Romania (-2.6%) and Slovakia (-2.3%) experienced some of the largest falls in production in construction. The greatest increases were seen in Poland (+2.7%), Germany (+1.2%), the Czech Republic (+1.1%) and the UK (+1.1%).
In relation to June 2013, production in construction dropped by 2.3% y/y in the euro area due to a 2% and 3.4% fall in building construction and civil engineering, respectively. Meanwhile, a 0.2% decline in building construction and a 2.7% fall in civil engineering led to a 0.5% decrease in production in construction in the EU28. Slovenia (+28.7%), Hungary (+9.8%), Poland (+8%) and Spain (+6.8%) were among the countries that registered the highest growth in production in construction when compared to June 2013. The biggest decreases were in Romania (-13.1%), Portugal (-10.3%), Slovakia (-5%) and the Netherlands (-3.5%).
Adapted from press release by Louise Fordham