"In 2006, the Gross Domestic Product of the euro-zone grew by 2.7% and that of the 25-member EU by 2.9%". In 2005, the GDP was 1.4% and 1.7%, respectively. Eurostat published the updated and seasonally-adjusted statistics for the last quarter of 2006 as well as the yearly figures. The figures corroborate a rising trend, which became stable in most EU countries, even if lower than that of the United States, where the GDP was 3.3% per annum. "During the fourth quarter 2006 reads the Eurostat paper , the Gross Domestic Product of the euro-zone" (13 EU member countries) "and that of the whole EU have risen 0.9% more than in the previous quarter". Latvia is the country that has grown fastest (+2.5% in October-December alone), followed by Slovakia, Malta and Estonia. Consumption and investments are also growing in both the bigger and smaller states. Exports looked liveliest in Malta (+7.1%), while imports grew in Latvia at a record-breaking rate of 21.9%.
