Construction output in the euro area fell 1.3 percent in June, and the whole of the annual decline sits in one of its three parts

Buildings.

That is the whole of the euro area's annual decline in construction, and the sector table is where it shows. Measured against June last year, production in construction across the euro area is down 0.7 percent, and inside that figure the construction of buildings fell 6.5 percent while civil engineering rose 0.3 percent and specialised construction activities rose 0.2 percent. In the EU the same split reads minus 4.9, plus 1.4 and plus 0.5. Two of the three parts of the industry grew over the year. The third took the whole of the fall and more.

The month itself

Seasonally adjusted production in construction fell 1.3 percent in the euro area in June against May, and 1.0 percent in the EU, on first estimates from Eurostat. May had been a small positive month, up 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent respectively. Across the first half the euro area series runs minus 1.1, minus 0.5, plus 1.9, minus 0.1, plus 0.2 and minus 1.3, which is a flat line with a March in it rather than a trend.

On the month the sector pattern inverts. Specialised construction activities, the trades, fell hardest at 1.8 percent in the euro area, ahead of civil engineering at 1.4 percent and buildings at 0.9 percent.

Which countries, and on which horizon

The largest monthly falls among member states with data available were Slovakia at 4.6 percent, Hungary at 3.9 percent and France at 2.9 percent. Romania rose 4.9 percent, Sweden 2.0 percent and the Netherlands 1.0 percent.

Over the year the list is not the same one. Spain is the steepest annual faller at 8.5 percent, followed by Hungary at 5.0 percent and France at 4.5 percent, while Slovenia is up 22.9 percent, Romania up 18.4 percent and Finland up 12.0 percent. Spain is the case worth holding still. Its June reading against May was a rise of 0.3 percent, and it is nonetheless the worst annual number in the table, which is what a series looks like when it has already fallen and then stops falling.

What the table does not contain

Ireland is marked confidential in every month shown. Italy is marked confidential for April, May and June, so the three most recent months of the euro area's third-largest economy are not published in this country table. Estonia, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg and Malta carry a footnote saying they are not required to supply monthly data at all under Regulation (EU) 2019/2152. The aggregate is a first estimate, the next release is 18 September, and the underlying series is sts_copr_m.