Eurozone grew 1.5% in 2015, its biggest gain in four years – LaRepública.pe

  Brussels. EFE

 

The economic growth in the eurozone rose in 2015 to 1.5%, which approached 2011 levels and recorded the best performance in four years, which can however be truncated this year by the slowdown in emerging economies and other political, economic and financial risks.

 

 

 The whole of the European Union ended last year with an increase of 1.8% of GDP , identical to 2011 percent, according to data of the time series provided to Efe by EU statistics agency Eurostat.

 

 That office, based in Luxembourg, yesterday released its first estimates of the closure and the fourth quarter of 2015, in which The eurozone economy grew 0.3% , like that of set of twenty-eight.

 

 A spokesman for the European Commission (EC) acknowledged that the quarterly data reflects an evolution “slightly below expectations” in Brussels, both in the eurozone and the EU.

 

 Leading Eurostat put the GDP of both blocks at the end of last year, 0.1 percentage points below the macroeconomic forecasts EC published a week ago.

 

 In the case of Spain, GDP advanced 0.8% in the fourth quarter , the same percentage as the third, and the annual balance Eurostat reported growth of 3.5%.

 

 The figure advance for the National Institute of Statistics (INE) puts the growth of the Spanish economy for the whole of 2015 at 3.2% of GDP, one of the best data, as noted today Minister of Economy and Competitiveness in office, Luis de Guindos.

 

 “The Spanish economy is moving at a cruising speed” close to 3.5%, reiterated after participating in a meeting of European Ministers of Economy and Finance.

 

 Of the EU countries, Slovakia had an annual figure of 4.0% of GDP , Romania and Poland 3.8% from 3.6%, while Bulgaria recorded a 3.1% but the major economies of the eurozone, Spain is, along with Ireland, in the head.

 

  Germany grew by 0.3% in the last quarter and closed the year with a rise of 1.7%, according to data released today by the Federal Department of Statistics.

 

  The French economy grew by 0.2% and scored a growth of 1.3%, according to Eurostat, while the Italian progressed tenth less and ended the year with an increase in GDP 1.0% in annual terms.

 Keys

 The UK evolved at the pace of 0.5% in the fourth quarter and annual GDP rose 1.9%.

 

 On the negative side of the ledger Greece and Finland are both in recession.