Eurostat: Construction Activities Further Decreased in February

Construction activities at the level of the 28-member European Union (EU) were further reduced on a monthly basis in February of this year, pressured by a decline in activities in civil engineering and building construction, according to the latest estimates from the EU statistical office.

Seasonally adjusted production in the EU construction sector decreased by 0.8 percent in February compared to the previous month, following a revised decline of 1.1 percent in the previous month, the Eurostat report published on Wednesday showed.

>>>Eurostat: Price Growth Slightly Accelerated in March Across the EU

The weaker activity is attributed to a 2.7 percent decline in civil engineering and a 0.2 percent decline in building construction. Among the member states for which Eurostat had data, the largest monthly decline in construction activities was recorded in Bulgaria, at 14 percent, in Slovenia at 13.1 percent, and in Hungary at five percent.

On the other hand, the largest growth was achieved by Romania, at 4.7 percent, France, at 2.7 percent, and Spain, at 0.9 percent. No data was published for Croatia, as it does not belong to the group of member states required to submit monthly data.

>>>In Croatia, the Growth of Producer Prices Slowed

Construction activity in February also further declined in the eurozone, by 0.5 percent, following a revised decline of 0.8 percent in the previous month, primarily influenced by a 1.7 percent drop in civil engineering activities.

Stalled Activities on an Annual Basis

At the EU level, construction activities in February slipped by 0.1 percent compared to the same month of the previous year, following a jump of a revised five percent in January. This is a result of a 3.8 percent decline in civil engineering activities, while building construction recorded a growth of 0.6 percent, according to the latest estimates from Eurostat.

The largest growth in construction activities overall was recorded in Poland, at 31.3 percent, followed by Hungary, with a growth of 26.1 percent, and Romania, with 10.6 percent higher activity.

>>>Croatia Among EU Countries with the Highest Growth in Industrial Production

On the other hand, declines in construction were recorded by Belgium, at 5.3 percent, the United Kingdom, at 3.9 percent, and France, at three percent.

In the 19-member eurozone, growth in construction activities was also sharply stalled on an annual basis – in February, they increased by 0.4 percent, following a revised 6.9 percent jump in January compared to the previous year. In building construction, activities increased by 1.7 percent, while in civil engineering they fell by 4.6 percent, Eurostat reported in its latest estimates.