Seasonally adjusted industrial production decreased by 2.3 per cent in the euro area from January to February 2009, according to an April 16 statement by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities.

In the same time frame, seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 1.9 per cent on average in the European Union's 27 member states.

In February 2009 compared with February 2008, industrial production declined by 18.4 per cent in the euro area and by 17.5 per cent in the EU27.

In February 2009 compared with January 2009, production of energy fell by one per cent in the euro area and by 1.3 per cent in the EU27. Non-durable consumer goods decreased by 1.4 per cent and 1.1 per cent, respectively.

Intermediate goods dropped by 2.4 per cent in the euro area and by two per cent in the EU27. Capital goods declined by three per cent and 2.3 per cent, respectively.

Durable consumer goods fell by 4.3 per cent in the euro area and 2.9 per cent in the EU27.

Among EU member states for which data were available, industrial production fell in 16 and rose only in Portugal (+2.4 per cent), Greece (+1.7 per cent) and Poland (+0.4 per cent). The most significant falls were registered in Lithuania (-4.1 per cent), Estonia (-3.6 per cent), Italy (-3.5 per cent) and Germany (-3.2 per cent).

Eurostat said that March 2009 euro area annual inflation was down to 0.6 per cent, and 1.3 per cent in the EU27.

The March figure for the euro area was down from 1.2 per cent in February. A year earlier the rate was 3.6 per cent. Monthly inflation was 0.4 per cent in March 2009, according to Eurostat.

EU annual inflation was 1.3 per cent in March 2009, down from 1.8 per cent in February. A year earlier the rate was 3.8 per cent. Monthly inflation was 0.3 per cent in March 2009.

In March 2009, the lowest annual rates were observed in Ireland (-0.7 per cent), Portugal (-0.6 per cent) and Luxembourg (-0.3 per cent), and the highest in Latvia (7.9 per cent), Lithuania (7.4 per cent) and Romania (6.7 per cent). Compared with February 2009, annual inflation fell in 22 member states and rose in four.

The lowest 12-month averages up to March 2009 were registered in Portugal (1.9 per cent), Germany and the Netherlands (both 2.2 per cent), and the highest in Latvia (13.4 per cent), Lithuania (10.5 per cent) and Bulgaria (10.1 per cent).

In the euro area, the main components with the highest annual rates in March 2009 were alcohol & tobacco (3.4 per cent), "miscellaneous" (2.3 per cent) and hotels and restaurants (2.2 per cent), while the lowest annual rates were observed for transport (-4.3 per cent), communications (-1.8 per cent) and recreation and culture (zero).

The main components with the highest monthly rates were clothing (7.5 per cent) and household equipment (0.5 per cent), while the lowest were recreation and culture  (-0.4 per cent), housing and transport (both -0.3 per cent). In particular, garments (+0.38 percentage points) and footwear (+0.07) had the largest upward impacts, while fuels for transport (-0.07) and heating oil (-0.05) had the biggest downward impacts, Eurostat said.