June’s production in the construction sector fell by 0.5% from May’s figures in the Eurozone and by 1.7% across the whole of the EU, with the UK particularly hard hit.

The UK, Romania and Poland were the countries with the worst drops in the monthly comparisons, with the Portugal, the UK, Hungary and Sweden suffering most compared with June 2011.

In May, production had decreased by 0.2% in the Euro area, but increased by 1.2% across the 27 countries of the EU (EU27).

Compared with June 2011, production in June 2012 dropped by 2.8% in the Euro area and by 5.8% in the EU27.

These first estimates are released by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Among the member states with data available for June 2012, production in construction fell in 10 and rose in four. The largest decreases were registered in Romania (-10%), the United Kingdom (-4.7%), Poland (-2.4%) and Germany (-2%). The highest increases were in Slovenia (+6.8%), Spain (+1.3%), Sweden (+1.1%) and France (+0.7%).

Building construction dropped by 0.1% in the Euro area and by 1.4% in the EU27, after 0.0% and +1.8% respectively in May 2012. Civil engineering fell by 0.7% in the Euro area and by 2.2% in the EU27, after +0.5% and +1% respectively in the previous month.

In terms of the annual comparison, production in construction fell in eleven of the countries with data available and and rose in three. The largest decreases were registered in Portugal (-18.9%), the United Kingdom (-15.5%), Hungary (-11.1%) and Slovakia (-11.0%), and the increases in Sweden (+4.6%), Germany (+3.0%) and Romania (+0.1%).

Building construction declined by 3.2% in the Euro area and by 5.6% in the EU27, after -8% and -6% respectively in May 2012. Civil engineering decreased by 3.8% in the Euro area and by 9.3% in the EU27, after -9% and -10.8% respectively in the previous month.

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