Euro construction falls in July

Euro-area construction output fell for a second month in July, led by declines from Spain to The Netherlands.

Construction in the 17-nation euro area fell 0.3 per cent from June, when it dropped a revised 0.6 per cent, the European Union’s statistics office in Luxembourg said. From a year earlier, construction output declined 4.7 per cent.

In Italy and Spain, the euro region’s third- and fourth- largest economies, output dropped 2.2 per cent and 2.1 per cent in the month, respectively, the report showed.

France reported a decrease of 0.1 per cent from June, while production in The Netherlands and Portugal also fell. German output rose 1.9 per cent from June, when it dropped 1.3 per cent.

In the 27-nation EU, output fell 0.2 per cent from June, when it slipped 1.4 per cent. The statistics office had previously reported a monthly decline of 0.5 per cent for the euro area in June. Ireland and Greece are not required to provide monthly data on construction output.

Building construction dropped by 0.8 per cent in both the euro area and the EU27, after -0.2 per cent and -1.1 per cent respectively in June 2012. Civil engineering rose by 1.1 per cent in the euro area and by 0.7 per cent in the EU27, after -0.4 per cent and -2.0 per cent respectively in the previous month.

On an annual comparison basis, production in construction fell in 12 and rose in three Member States for which data is available. The largest decreases were registered in Slovenia, Portugal, Spain and Italy, and the increases in Hungary, Bulgaria and Germany.

Building construction declined by 4.6 per cent in the euro area and by 5.4 per cent in the EU27, after -2.8 per cent and -five per cent, respectively in June 2012. Civil engineering decreased by 3.3 per cent in the euro area and by eight per cent in the EU27, after -3.5 per cent and -8.4 per cent respectively in the previous month.