The View from Brussels

摘要

Cement activity during the first two quarters of 2010 continued to fall despite signs of recovery within the 27 member EU economy (EU27). According to data issued by Eurostat, industrial output in the EU27 rose by 2.7% between first and second quarter of 2010 and by 6.6% compared to 2009 first-half results. During the first six months of 2010, output grew in all EU countries except in Romania (-0.2%), while in at least eight countries it registered more than a 5% increase. The slightly positive trend was also reflected in the construction sectors output. According to Eurostat, in Q2 2010 it decreased by 0.26% compared to the same period in 2009 and it rose by 4.2% compared to the previous quarter. However, these results show only a first sign of recovery after a two-year long drop of more than 15%.