Italy, Slovakia, France, Romania post significant decline in industrial production in March in EU

In March 2020, the COVID-19 containment measures widely introduced by Member States had a significant impact on industrial production, as the seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 11.3% in the euro area and by 10.4% in the EU, compared with February 2020, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, released on Wednesday.

The highest increases in industrial production were reported in Ireland (+15.5%), Greece and Finland (both +1.9%) and Lithuania (+0.7%), with the largest decreases in Italy (-28.4%), Slovakia (-20.3%) and France (-16.4%).

In March 2020 compared with March 2019, industrial production decreased by 12.9% in the euro area and by 11.8% in the EU.

The highest increases in industrial production were reported in Ireland (+25.3%), Malta (+5.7%) and Finland, with the largest decreases in Luxembourg (-32.7%), Italy (-29.3%), Slovakia (-19.6%), France (-16.8%), Germany (-14.2%) and Romania (- 13.6%).