2020.04.1711:36:00UTC+00Eurozone Construction Output Falls In February

Eurozone construction output fell in February, a month ahead of the adoption of containment measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic, data from Eurostat showed on Friday.

The construction output decreased 1.5 percent month-on-month in February, after a 4.0 percent rise in January. In December, output rose 1.6 percent.

The decline was driven by a 1.4 percent decrease in building construction and a 1.6 percent fall in civil engineering.

The survey began before the containment measures of COVID-19 were widely introduced by the member states, the agency said.

On a year-on-year basis, the construction output fell 0.9 percent in February, after a 6.9 percent surge in the prior month.

In the EU27, construction output decreased 1.0 percent monthly in February, and fell 0.9 percent from the same month a year ago.

Among EU member states, the largest monthly decreases in construction output were recorded in Romania, the Netherlands and Belgium. The biggest increases were observed in Slovenia, Hungary and Poland.