Industrial production in the European Union came to a sudden standstill in September following four months of recovery spurred by the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, while in Croatia it rose after a decline in August, according to Eurostat.

Seasonally adjusted industrial production stagnated in the 27-member bloc in September compared with August, when it increased by 0.9%. In the euro area, industrial production fell by 0.4% from August, when it grew by 0.6%.

Production of durable consumer goods fell the most in both zones, by 3.9% in the EU and by 5.3% in the euro area. On the other hand, production of non-durable consumer goods rose the most, by 1.4% in the EU and by 2.1% in the euro area.

Compared with August 2020, the largest decreases were observed in Italy (-5.6%), Ireland (-4.7%) and Portugal (-3.8%), while the largest increases were recorded in the Czech Republic (+4.1%), Slovakia (+3.4%) and Poland (+3.1%).

In Croatia, Germany and Greece, seasonally adjusted industrial production increased by 1.7% in September. In August, industrial production in Croatia fell by 1.1%.

Compared with September 2019, industrial production declined by 5.8% in the EU and by 6.8% in the euro area.

Production of capital goods fell the most in both zones, by 11.9% in the EU and by 13.3% in the euro area. In the EU, production of consumer durables grew the most, by a modest 0.7%, while in the euro area all sectors produced less than last year, with production of consumer non-durables decreasing the least, by 1.5%.

The largest year-on-year decreases were observed in Ireland (-13.6%) and Germany (-8.7%), while the only increases were recorded in Poland (+3.3%) and Portugal (+2.5%). Croatia saw a drop in industrial production of 1.1% year-on-year, and similar rates were also observed in Hungary and Lithuania.