Eurozone manufacturing output fell sharply again in April. The coronavirus outbreak and restrictive measures in more European countries took their toll. European statistics agency Eurostat calculated that production was 17.1 percent lower than in March, the biggest drop in a month Eurostat has ever measured.
The drop in production was slightly lower than that economists had expected. In general, they expected a decrease of 18.5 percent. In March, industrial production in the eurozone had already fallen by 11.3 percent. Manufacturing production across the European Union fell by 17.3 percent in April.
The decline was felt in all branches of industry, as factories across Europe were shut down or unable to produce to a limited extent. The decline was strongest in machines and durable consumer goods such as cars, furniture and white goods. The decline in production in the energy sector was the least significant.
Eurostat reports that production of European industry has returned to the level of the mid-1990s. The decrease in April compared to March was most marked in Hungary and Romania. On an annual basis, production in Luxembourg and Italy fell the most. Ireland was the only EU country to produce more in April than a year earlier.