Compared with May 2012, the production in construction sector fell by 0.5% in the euro area and by 1.7% in the EU in June 2012. The largest decreases were registered in Romania, the United Kingdom, Poland and Germany.

In June 2012 compared with May 2012, seasonally adjusted production fell by 0.5% in the euro area and by 1.7% in the EU in the construction sector. In May 2012, production decreased by 0.2% in the euro area, but increased by 1.2% in the EU. Compared with June 2011, production in June 2012 dropped by 2.8% in the euro area and by 5.8% in the EU. In July, the European Commission presented a new strategy for EU construction sector.

With regard to the data for Member States, production in construction fell in ten and rose in four. The largest decreases were registered in Romania (-10.0%), the United Kingdom (-4.7%), Poland (-2.4%) and Germany (-2.0%), and the increases in Slovenia (+6.8%), Spain (+1.3%), Sweden (+1.1%) and France (+0.7%). Compared with June 2011, the largest decreases were registered in Portugal (-18.9%), the United Kingdom (-15.5%), Hungary (-11.1%) and Slovakia (-11.0%), and the increases in Sweden (+4.6%), Germany (+3.0%) and Romania (+0.1%) in June 2012.

Also in June, the first estimate for the euro area trade in goods balance with the rest of the world in gave a 14.9 bn euro surplus, compared with +0.2 bn in June 2011. In June 2012 compared with May 2012, seasonally adjusted exports rose by 2.4% and imports remained almost stable. The first estimate for the June 2012 extra-EU trade in goods balance was a 0.4 bn euro surplus, compared with -15.3 bn in June 2011. In June 2012 compared with May 2012, seasonally adjusted exports rose by 2.1% and imports by 0.9%.