The positive trend in industrial production in the Eurozone begun in January is continuing thanks to a further rise in the percentage rate of 0.4% registered in March, to which should also be added a half-point rise also for the 27-member EU. Over the last twelve months the growth has been equivalent to 3.7% for the Eurozone and 3.9% for the EU as a whole. The sectors that have most contributed to the positive trend are the production of non-durable consumer goods (+0.7%), energy (0.4%) and durable consumer goods (whose production slightly fell in the countries of the Euro in contrast to a 0.4% growth in the EU-27). The figures for individual member states register a reduction in industrial production only in six cases (Belgium, Ireland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and Portugal): the most significant increases were registered by Poland (+13.6%), Slovakia (+12.6%), Slovenia (+11.5%) and Bulgaria (+10%).
