The eurozone grew much more strongly than expected in the spring. In the second quarter, the gross domestic product (GDP) of the 19 euro countries grew by 0.7 percent compared to the previous quarter, as the statistics office Eurostat announced on Friday.
Economists had expected an average of 0.2 percent. Compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, the eurozone economy grew by 4 percent. The development was similar throughout the EU.
Among the countries that have already published data, Spain recorded the strongest growth in the euro area. Here the economy grew by 1.1 percent compared to the previous quarter. In Italy, GDP increased by 1 percent and in France by 0.5 percent.
The German economy, on the other hand, disappointed with stagnation.
