Eurozone Industrial Production Edges Up in May

BRUSSELS, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The seasonally adjusted industrial production in the 17-member eurozone saw a 0.6-percent month-on-month rise in May, the European Union statistics office Eurostate said on Thursday.

In the wider 27-nation EU, industrial production also witnessed a 0.5-percent rise in the same month.

In May, energy production fell by 2.3 percent in the eurozone and by 1.7 percent in the EU. The decrease was partly offest by gains in the production of non-durable consumer goods, which rose by 1.7 percent and 2.2 percent respectively.

Durable consumer goods also rose by 0.5 percent in the eurozone and 0.8 percent in the EU, while production of capital goods increased by 0.9 percent in both the eurozone and the EU. Intermediate goods production rose by 0.3 percent in both zones.

Among EU member states for which data are available, industrial production fell in eight countries and rose in thirteen. The highest decrease was registered in Lithuania with a month-on-month fall of 16.3 percent, while the largest increase was found in Portugal with a 4.1 percent rise.