Eurostat reported that industrial producer prices decreased by 0.2% in both euro area and in the EU in December 2012 compared with November 2012. Prices fell in almost all Member States for which data are available, except Belgium, Sweden and Finland.

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, published the latest figures on the industrial production in the euro area and in the EU. According to this European Agency, in December 2012, compared with November 2012, the industrial producer price index fell by 0.2% in both the euro area and the EU. In November prices also decreased by 0.2% in both zones.

With regard to the data registered by Member States, prices fell in almost all Member States for which data are available, except Belgium and Sweden (both +1.2%) and Finland (+0.2%). The largest decreases in the total index were recorded in Bulgaria (-1.0%), Denmark (-0.8%), Cyprus (-0.7%) and Austria (-0.6%). In December 2012 compared with December 2011, the largest increases in the total index were observed in Belgium (+6.4%), Bulgaria (+5.4%) and Denmark (+4.9%), and the smallest in Austria (+0.1%), Sweden (+0.4%) and Poland (+0.6%).

In December 2012, prices in the energy sector fell by 0.8% in the euro area and 1.0% in the EU. In both zones, durable consumer goods decreased by 0.1%, intermediate goods and capital goods remained stable and non-durable consumer goods increased by 0.1%. Compared with one year before, prices in the energy sector rose by 3.7% and 2.6% respectively. Non-durable consumer goods gained 2.3% in the euro area and 2.6% in the EU. Intermediate goods rose by 1.6% in the euro area and by 1.4% in the EU. In both zones, durable consumer goods gained 1.0% and capital goods 0.9%.