Press Release: December 2008: Economic sentiment falls to record-low levels in both the EU and the euro area

In December, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) declined considerably in the EU and the euro area, continuing the sharp fall in sentiment already observed in the October and November surveys. It fell by 7.0 points in the EU and by 7.8 points in the euro area, to 63.5 and 67.1 respectively. This puts the ESI for both the EU and the euro area at its lowest since the current series was launched in January 1985.