According to a report released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, in May this year industrial producer prices decreased by 0.3 percent both in the euro area and in the European Union member states (EU-27), month on month. In April this year, prices had decreased by 0.6 percent in the euro area and by 0.8 in the EU-27 as compared to the previous month. In May, compared to May 2012 industrial producer prices fell by 0.1 in the euro area and remained stable in the EU-27.
In May this year compared with the previous month, prices in overall industry excluding the energy sector decreased by by 0.1 percent in the euro area and in the EU-27, while prices in the energy sector fell by 0.8 percent in the euro area and by 0.9 percent in EU-27. In May, prices of non-durable consumer goods increased 0.1 percent in the euro area and by 0.2 percent in the EU-27. Prices of capital goods and durable consumer goods remained stable in both zones. Meanwhile, prices of intermediate goods decreased by 0.2 percent in the euro area and in the EU-27, month on month.
Among the member states for which data are available, the largest month-on-month decreases were recorded in Estonia (-3.6 percent), France (-1.2 percent), and Denmark and Cyprus (both with -0.8 percent), while the only increases were recorded in Spain (+1.3 percent), Greece, Lithuania and Poland (all +0.1 percent).
In May 2013 as compared to May 2012, prices in overall industry excluding the energy sector increased by 0.5 percent in the euro area and by 0.6 percent in the EU-27, while prices in the energy sector fell 1.8 percent and 2.2 percent respectively. Non-durable consumer goods increased by two percent in the euro area and rose by 2.2 percent in the EU-27. Durable consumer goods rose by 0.7 percent in the euro area and 0.5 percent in the EU-27. Capital goods rose by 0.6 percent and the prices of intermediate goods decreased by 0.5 percent in both zones, year on year.
Among member states for which data are available, the largest year-on-year increases in the overall index were observed in Estonia (+6.7 percent), Romania (+4.9 percent), Latvia (+2.1 percent) and Denmark (+1.7 percent) and in the United Kingdom (+1.5 percent), while the largest decreases were seen in Poland (-2.1%), Cyprus (-2.0%), Hungary and Sweden (both -1.5%), the Netherlands and Austria (both -1.2%).
