Press Release: March 2011: Economic sentiment stable in the EU and slightly down in the euro area

In March, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) was broadly unchanged at 107.4 in the EU, while it decreased by 0.6 point to 107.3 in the euro area. The overall decline in the euro area resulted from broadly unchanged sentiment in industry and weakening confidence in the other business sectors and among consumers. In the EU, industry and services remained on an upward trend offsetting the declines observed in retail trade, construction and among consumers.