The economies of the 12 nations that use the euro grew by 0.5 per cent in the third quarter after slowing from the second quarter, EU statistics agency Eurostat announced today.
Quarter-on-quarter growth for the entire 25-country European Union was 0.6 per cent, it said.
Compared with the third quarter of 2005, the euro area grew 2.6 per cent, and the EU grew 2.8 per cent, it said.
Both the euro zone and the full EU economies had expanded by 0.9 per cent in the second quarter ended June 30th, Eurostat said, as the European economy picked up steam after years of little growth.
In comparison, US gross domestic product growth was 0.4 per cent in the third quarter and 0.6 per cent in the second. In year-on-year growth, the United States grew by 2.9 per cent in the third quarter.
AP