According to first estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, in February 2015 seasonally adjusted production in the construction sector fell by 1.8% in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.2% in the EU28 compared to January 2015. In January 2015, production in construction increased by 1.6% and 0.6% respectively. Year-on-year, production in construction fell by 3.7% in the euro area and by 2.4% in the EU28.
The month-on-month decrease in the euro area is due to building construction falling by 1.6% and civil engineering by 2.6%. In the EU28, the decrease of 1.2% is due to a decline in building construction 1.1% and in civil engineering by 1.6%.
The major decreases, month-on-month, in production in construction were recorded to be in France and Portugal (both -2.2%), Germany (-3.1%), and the highest increases in Romania (+5.3%), Poland (+3.8%), and Hungary (+3.2%).
The year-on-year decrease in the euro area is attributed to building construction decreasing by 4.0% and civil engineering falling 2.7%. In the EU28, the decline of 2.4% is due to building construction falling by 2.7% and civil engineering by 0.5%.
Year-on-year declines were experienced in Germany (-8.1%), France (-7.9%) and Portugal (-4.5%), and the highest improvements occurred in Romania (+19.5%), Sweden (+9.4%) and the Czech Republic (+6.2%).
Adapted from press release by Harleigh Hobbs