Italy has seen growth of a meagre 0.1% over the last quarter according to statistics released today.

The stagnant growth in such a significant Eurozone economy has led to analyst concerns over the potential for growth across the rest of Europe, despite positive projections for the coming year.

Experts had predicted a much more significant growth over the second quarter in line with first quarter growth of 0.3%, which has prompted fears as to optimism in Europe-wide growth projections.

The Italian economy, which has been performing comparatively poorly over recent years in line with its major European counterparts, was forecast to grow by 0.4% in terms of GDP over the second quarter.

Meanwhile, France and Germany have also released significant economic indicators over the course of the day, reflecting a more general trend toward decline throughout Europe.

Paris reported a half percent decline in manufacturing and industrial output over the last quarter as a result of slowing car exports and poor agricultural trade, amongst other factors.

Germany likewise reported a decline in output over the course of June leading to speculation that the European economy as an entity has been underperforming in recent months.

Despite the fall in output, the European Central Bank has labelled growth in the country as one of the major contributors to its decision to increase central interest rates in recent months.

With ambitious growth forecast throughout Europe, poor results from some of the region’s most prevalent economies is causing analysts to question previous predictions.

Annually, the Italian economy grew by just 1.8% over the course of the second quarter compared to 2.3% over the first months of the year.

Growth for the year in Italy is currently forecast at 2% from 1.9% last year, showing a gradual marginal growth strategy for the underperforming economy.

Tags: European Economy News //