Construction output down by 1.8% in euro area

Seasonally-adjusted production in the construction sector fell in February 2015 fell by 1.8 per cent in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.2 per cent in the EU28 compared with January 2015, according to first estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In January 2015, production in construction grew by 1.6 and 0.6 per cent, respectively.

On an annual comparative basis, production in construction fell by 3.7 per cent in the euro area and by 2.4 per cent in the EU28 in February 2015.

Monthly comparison
The decrease of 1.8 per cent in the euro area in February 2015 compared with January 2015 was due to building construction falling by 16 per cent and civil engineering by 2.6 per cent.

In the EU 28, the decrease of 1.2 per cent came on the back of building construction and civil engineering falling by 1.1 and 1.6 per cent, respectively.

Among member states for which data are available, the largest decreases in production in construction were observed in Germany (-3.1 per cent), France and Portugal (both -2.2 per cent) and the highest increases in Romania (+5.3 per cent), Poland (+3.8 per cent) and Hungary (+3.2 per cent).

Annual comparison
The decrease of 3.7 per cent in production in construction in the euro area in February 2015 compared to a year earlier is attributed to a four per cent decline in building construction and 2.7 per cent drop in civil engineering.

In the EU28, the reduction of 2.4 per cent is due to building construction and civil engineering being down by 2.7 and 0.5 per cent, respectively.

Among Member States for which data are available, the largest decreases in production in construction were registered in Germany (-8.1 per cent), France (-7.9 per cent) and Portugual (-4.5 per cent). The highest increases were seen in Romania (+19.5 per cent), Sweden (+9.4 per cent) and the Czech Republic (+6.2 per cent).