Production in the construction sector rose by 0.9 per cent in the euro zone in December and by 1 per cent for the European Union as a whole, according to new figures from Eurostat.
In November production fell by 0.2 per cent and 0.8 per cent respectively.
Among the Member States for which data are available, production in construction rose in nine countries in December with the highest increases recorded in the Czech Republic, France and Slovakia. Production fell in six Member States with the biggest decreases observed in Slovenia, Poland and Spain.
Building construction rose by 0.6 per cent in the euro zone and 0.7 per cent in the EU28 in December. In the preceding month, building construction had declined by 0.7 per cent and 1 per cent respectively.
Civil engineering gained 3.8 per cent in the euro zone and 3.5 per cent in the European Union as a whole in December.
According to Eurostat, average production in construction for 2013 as a whole fell by 2.9 per cent in the euro zone and by 2.2 per cent in the European Union as a whole.
Among the Member States for which data are available for December 2013, production in construction fell in five countries and rose in ten over the year. The largest decreases were registered in Portugal, Italy and Spain, and the highest increases in Hungary, Slovakia and the UK.
