CONSTRUCTION output increased in some parts of Europe and fell in others in July according to the latest official statistics.In the construction sector, seasonally adjusted construction figures for the Euro area rose by 0.2per cent in August compared with July and remained stable across all 27 EU countries (EU27), Eurostat found.European construction output increased in August, as gains in countries such as France and Portugal helped offset a German decline.Construction in the 17-nation euro region grew 0.2 percent from July, when it advanced a revised 1.8 percent, the European Union's statistics office in Luxembourg said today. From a year earlier, output increased 2.5 percent.In Germany, Europe's largest economy, construction output dropped 1.2 percent from July, when it rose 4 percent, today's report showed. French and Portuguese output increased 3.2 percent and 7.6 percent, respectively. The statistics office didn't report figures for Ireland, Greece, Spain or Austria.In the 27-country EU, output stagnated after rising 0.9 percent in the previous month. Slovenia, Romania and Slovakia reported the biggest declines in monthly construction output. The statistics office had previously reported a July monthly gain of 1.4 percent in the euro region.July's figures had been increases in production of 1.8per cent and 0.9per cent respectively. Compared with August 2010, output in August 2011 increased by 2.5per cent in the Euro area and by 0.6per cent in the EU27.Among the member states with data available for August, construction output rose in five, remained stable in the Czech Republic and decreased in seven. The highest increases were registered in Portugal (+7.6per cent), France (+3.2per cent) and Hungary (+1.5per cent), and the largest decreases in Slovenia (-6.6per cent), Romania (-4.5per cent) and Slovakia (-2.3per cent).Building construction increased by 0.4per cent in the Euro area and by 0.1per cent in the EU27, after +1.0per cent and +0.6per cent respectively in July.Civil engineering fell by 1.1per cent in the Euro area and by 0.7per cent in the EU27, after +4.3per cent and +2.1per cent respectively in the previous month.In terms of the annual comparison for member states with data available, construction output rose in six and fell in eight. The highest increases were registered in Poland (+10.6per cent), Romania (+6.3per cent) and Germany (+5.2per cent), and the largest decreases in Slovenia (-32.8per cent), Hungary (-12.3per cent) and Portugal (-10.0per cent). Building construction increased by 3.0per cent in the Euro area, but fell by 0.1per cent in the EU27, after +1.8per cent and +0.9per cent respectively in July. Civil engineering rose by 0.5per cent in the euro area and by 3.2per cent in the EU27, after +1.0per cent and +3.5per cent respectively in the previous month.Annual data, however, indicated a 0.9per cent contraction. A Commission survey noted sentiment in the Spanish construction sector reaching a record low in September, with new orders, activity trends and employment expectations all revised downward. Outside of the big four economies, Dutch construction output fell 0.1per cent, adding to July's contraction, though boosting the annual change to +2.0per cent. Slovakia saw further losses, as output sank 2.3per cent and 7.7per cent on the month and year, respectively. Slovenian construction decreased 6.6per cent m/m, resulting in a y/y change of -32.8per cent.Construction activity in Portugal rebounded 7.6per cent on the month in August, undoing declines in both July and June and narrowing the annual decline to 10.0per cent.
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