Industrial production in Ireland between May and June this year dropped by 9.6 per cent, according to figures released by Eurostat this morning.
Those figures represent the largest drop in the euro zone and follow yesterday’s figures from Eurostat which show Ireland has the highest inflation rate
In the EU, the strongest decreases registered were in Ireland (-9.6 per cent), Britain (-4.3 per cent) and Belgium (-2.0 per cent).
Overall, after the figures were seasonally, adjusted industrial production increased by 0.5 per cent in the euro zone in June 2002 compared to May 2002.
Production was stable in May, after a fall of 0.7 per cent in April; output in the 15-member EU decreased by 0.4 per cent in June 2002, after a rise of 0.3 per cent in May and a drop of 0.6 per cent in April.
In June 2002 compared to June 2001, industrial production fell by 1.2 per cent in the euro zone and by 2.2 per cent in the European Union.
Capital and durable consumer goods gained 0.7 per cent and 1.3 per cent, respectively, in the euro zone while they fell by 0.1 per cent in the EU. Energy increased by 1.4 per cent in the euro zone and by 0.6 per cent in the EU.
Non-durable consumer goods increased by 0.2 per cent in the euro zone but fell by 0.5 per cent in the EU.