Brussels (EFE).- Inflation in the euro area fell by one tenth in February compared to the previous month, to 8.5%, according to preliminary data published this Thursday by the community statistics office, Eurostat.
On the other hand, core inflation (which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco as it behaves more volatile) rose three tenths to 5.6%. The increase in prices, if only energy and fresh food are excluded, was 7.4%, also three tenths more.
Although the decrease in February was barely one tenth, inflation has accumulated four consecutive months of decline since the peak of 10.6% reached in October of last year.
For the first time since the start of this stage of price growth, inflation in the food, alcohol and tobacco category is higher than that of energy (15% in the first case and 13.7% in the second). ). The first of them reached that level after increasing by nine tenths in the last month, while energy prices by more than five points.
Within the first group, in addition, the increase in the cost of processed foods, alcohol and tobacco was 15.5% (five tenths more) and that of fresh foods was 13.6% (2.3 percentage points more). .
On the other hand, inflation for non-energy industrial goods stood at 6.8% (one tenth more than in January) and that for services grew four tenths, to 4.8%.
Spain, the third lowest inflation rate in the euro area
By country, Spain registered the third lowest inflation rate in the euro zone, with 6.1%; behind Belgium, whose price growth in February was 5.5%; and Luxembourg, with the lowest inflation of the common currency (4.8%).
Other countries with a rate below the euro area average in February were Greece (6.5%), Cyprus (6.7%), Malta (7%), France (7.2%), Finland (7.9%), %) and Ireland (8%).
Already above the average were Portugal (8.6%), the Netherlands (8.9%), Estonia (9.3%), Slovenia (9.4%) and Italy (9.9%); while Austria (11%), Croatia (11.7%), Slovakia (15.5%), Lithuania (17.2%), Estonia (17.8%) and Latvia ( 20.1%).
