Eurozone construction jumps in February

Eurozone construction sparked in February, official data showed on Thursday, up notably on the previous month.

According to first estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, seasonally-adjusted production in construction increased by 1.8% in February in both the Eurozone and wider bloc.

In January, production nudged ahead just 0.2% in the Eurozone and fell 1.2% in the EU.

Driving the increase in February was civil engineering, which reported a 4.1% increase in the Eurozone. Buildings rose 3.5% and specialised construction activities by 1.7%.

Germany, the EU’s biggest economy, reported a 7.9% hike in construction output in February.

In contrast, it fell by 2.1% in France and nudged ahead just 0.4% in Spain.

Data was not available for seven countries, however, including Italy and Ireland.

Year-on-year, construction output fell 0.4% in the Eurozone and by 0.6% in the EU.