Romania posts steepest constructions drop in the EU this May, says Eurostat

Production in construction dropped by 16.7 percent in Romania this May compared to the same month a year ago, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Overall Romania posted the highest annual drop followed by Spain (-5.6 percent) and Slovakia (-2.1 percent). Among member states for which data are available, the highest increases in production in construction were recorded in Hungary (+35.3 percent) and Bulgaria (+11.9 percent).

In May 2017 compared with May 2016, production in construction increased by 2.6 percent in the euro area and by 2.5 percent in the EU28.

Compared with April 2017, seasonally adjusted production in the construction sector decreased by 0.7 percent in the euro area (EA19) and by 1.1 percent in the EU28.

The decrease is due to civil engineering falling by 0.9 percent and building construction by 0.6 percent, according to the same source. In the EU28, the decrease of 1.1 percent is due to both building construction and civil engineering falling by 1.1 percent. Among member states for which data are available, the largest decreases in production in construction were recorded in Slovenia (-10.6 percent), Sweden (-7.1 percent) and Slovakia (-4.9 percent), and the highest increases in Hungary (+7.6 percent), Bulgaria (+3.6 percent) and Italy (+2.7 percent).