The EU28 group of nations recorded only 0.2% GDP growth in the second quarter of 2014, down from 0.3% in the first quarter (Chart 1). The slowdown was largely due to contraction in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy. After expanding 0.7% in the first quarter of 2014, Germany’s economy slipped 0.2% in the second quarter of the year as foreign trade and investment, particularly in the construction sector, weighed on growth. Meanwhile France recorded zero growth for the second quarter in a row between April and June 2014, while Italy’s economy continued to contract.
Continue reading “Slowing German Economy Drags Down EU Growth – ITTO European Market Report 30th September”No Rebound in EU Tropical Hardwood Imports During 2014 – ITTO European Market Report 15th September 2014
Although there has been some shifting between product groups, total EU imports of tropical hardwood products in the first half of 2014 hardly recovered from the historically low levels recorded in the previous two years.
Continue reading “No Rebound in EU Tropical Hardwood Imports During 2014 – ITTO European Market Report 15th September 2014”