Ireland continues to have the highest inflation rate in the Eurozone according to the latest statistics released today by the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat.
In July, the highest inflation rates were in Ireland at 4.2 per cent and The Netherlands at 3.8 per cent; the lowest were in Germany at 1 per cent and Belgium at 1.1 per cent.
Among inflation components, health rose to 2.4 per cent from June's 2.2 per cent and transport was up to 1.6 per cent from 0.4 per cent. Food fell to 1.7 per cent from 1.9 per cent, and alcohol and tobacco slipped to 4.0 per cent from 4.1 per cent.
Inflation rose slightly in July in the Eurozone on a yearly basis, but the figure was in line with expectations and confirmed the European Central Bank's holding stance on interest rates, economists said.