In May 2018, producer prices in the EU inched up by 1 percent compared to the month before, while year-on-year they rose by 3.6 percent, according to estimates released by Eurostat, the statistics bureau of the European Union.

The rise in producer prices across the EU is attributed to a 3.4 percent rise in energy prices, the 0.3 percent rise in intermediary goods and durable consumer goods, and a slight 0.1 increase in capital goods. The prices of non-durable consumer goods remained unchanged.

In Croatia, industrial producer prices in May 2018 went up by 0.8 percent from April 2018 and by 2.8 percent compared to May 2017.

By country, the highest monthly increases in industrial producer prices were recorded in Greece (2.4 percent), Portugal (1.9 percent), Cyprus, and Hungary (1.8 percent each). The largest drops were recorded in Ireland (0.5 percent) and Latvia (0.3 percent).

In year-on-year terms, May 2018 prices rose by 3.6 percent, with prices rising in all categories tracked. Energy prices were up by 10.8 percent, intermediary products by 2.7 percent, and durable consumer goods by 1.3 percent.

The highest increases compared to May 2017 were recorded in the United Kingdom (6.7 percent), Belgium (6.5 percent), Estonia, Greece, and Hungary (5.5 percent each), while decreases were observed only in Ireland (2.7 percent) and Luxembourg (0.5 percent).

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