Construction falls by 6.6% in Europe

19 June 2012 | By Henry Brennan

The latest statistics from Eurostat reveal seasonally adjusted production in the construction sector fell by 6.6% in the wider 27-member European Union and by 2.7% in the eurozone in April.Compared with April 2011, production in April 2012 dropped by 5% in the euro area and by 5.1% in the EU27.

The UK saw the largest decrease in production, falling by 18.1% between March and April, followed by 9.3% contraction in Slovenia and significant falls in production in Portgual and Germany. Romania saw the biggest increase in construction production, growing by 11.5%, with 2.3% growth in France and 1.9% in Poland. Lower growth in the building construction sub-sector was the biggest detractor from production.

Earlier this month, Eurostat revealed GDP growth fell by 0.1% in the euro area and increased by 0.1% in the EU27, with construction sector contributed a 2.9% decline in GDP and gross value in the EU17 and 2.8% in the EU27 in the first quarter.

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