Production in construction down by 0.2% in euro area
In August 2015 compared with July 2015, seasonally-adjusted production in the construction sector fell by 0.2 per cent in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.2 per cent in the EU28, according to first estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In July 2015, production in construction grew by 0.4 per cent in both zones.
On an annual comparative basis, August 2015 construction output fell by six per cent in the Euro area and by five per cent in the EU28.
Month-on-month comparison
The month-on-month decline in the euro area in August 2015 is attributed to a decline in civil engineering and building construction of 0.3 and 0.2 per cent, respectively.
In the EU28, the decrease of 1.2 per cent was attributed to a 1.9 per cent fall in civil engineering and 1.1 per cent drop in building construction.
Among Member States for which data are available, the largest decreases in construction production were recorded in Slovakia (-5.0 per cent), the UK (-4.8 per cent) and Slovenia (-4.5 per cent). The highest increases were in Portugal (+0.9 per cent), Poland and France (both +0.6 per cent).
Annual comparison
The annual decline in the euro area in August 2015 is attributed to building construction falling by 6.3 per cent and civil engineering by 5.5 per cent.
In the EU28, the reduction was due to building construction being down by 6.1 per cent and civil engineering by 0.8 per cent.
Among Member States for which data are available, the largest declines in construction output were recorded in Slovenia (-15.5 per cent), France (-9.2 per cent) and Hungary (-6.1 per cent). The highest increase are in Sweden (+13 per cent), Romania (+10.4 per cent) and Slovakia (+9.8 per cent).
