EU construction output down 1.3% in September: Eurostat

LONDON (ICIS)–EU construction output levels fell by 1.3%  month on month in September, data agency Eurostat said on Tuesday.

Construction output for the eurozone fell by the same level over the period, Eurostat added.

Revised data also showed that an August month-on-month output rise was more modest than previously thought. The agency initially estimated output rises of 0.4% in the EU and 0.5% in the eurozone for August, but this has been cut to 0.2% and 0.3% respectively.

The construction industry is a key end market for chemicals producers.

“Among the Member States for which data are available for September 2013, production in construction fell in nine and rose in six,” Eurostat said.

“The largest decreases were observed in Portugal (-12.3%), Romania (-6.9%) and the Czech Republic (-4.6%), and the highest increases in Slovenia (+6.2%), Slovakia (+1.6%) and Hungary (+0.8%),” the agency added.

Turning to annual comparisons, year on year, construction output increased by 0.2% in the EU and declined by 0.2% in the eurozone.

“Among the Member States for which data are available for September 2013, production in construction fell in nine, remained stable in Slovakia and rose in five,” Eurostat said.

“The largest decreases were registered in Portugal (-14.9%), the Czech Republic (-11.8%), Slovenia (-7.9%) and Italy (-6.1%), and the highest increases in Hungary (+9.3%), Spain (+6.1%) and the United Kingdom (+4.9%),” the agency added.