Euro zone inflation stayed below the European Central Bank's two per cent limit in June even after Eurostat revised it higher today to 1.8 per cent from an early estimate of 1.7 per cent.
Eurostat, the European Union's statistics agency, also said that industrial output in the zone rose just 0.1 per cent in May from April, leaving it 1.2 per cent below that seen a year ago.
It said the switch to euro cash, which took place in January, had boosted prices by at most 0.2 percentage point in the first half of the year, slightly higher than the 0.16 percentage point maximum it had estimated for the first quarter.
Eurostat reiterated that car and energy prices, some significant tax increases on tobacco, and the impact of bad weather on fruit and vegetable prices, had played a more bigger role in boosting prices than the euro changeover.
While the switch to euro cash may have given a small boost to prices, the currency's current rally on the foreign exchanges is expected to curb price pressures as it will make the price of imported goods cheaper in euro-denominated terms.
The euro has racked up gains of more than 13 percent against the dollar so far this year. The likely impact on inflation of such appreciation has prompted economists to expect the European Central Bank to leave rates on hold for a while longer.