Production in construction fell by 12 percent from February to March across EU member states, according to data by Eurostat. In the euro area, the decease stood at 14.1 percent. Compared with the same month last year, construction dipped by 13.4 percent in the EU and by 15.4 in eurozone countries.
Containment measures imposed by national governments against the coronavirus spread meant that building projects and civil engineering had to be restrained. In fact, building construction across the EU, which includes both residential and non-residential projects, fell by almost 12 percent; the impact on civil engineering, which comprises infrastructure such as roads and bridges, registered a 13.7 percent drop.
The largest decreases were experienced in France (-40%) and Italy (-36%). Romania, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden were the only countries to record increases, ranging between 0.8 percent and 2.1 percent. Data for Malta was not available by the time of publication.
