Euro zone inflation rose to 2.6 percent in May

A year earlier, last May, the consumer price index in the euro area was 6.1 percent. In a monthly comparison, consumer prices increased by 0.2 percent in May after 0.6 percent in April. According to Eurostat’s calculations, energy prices in May were 0.3 percent higher than a year earlier, after an annual decrease of 0.6 percent was recorded in April.

The annual growth rate of the prices of food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products slowed to 2.6 percent in May from 2.8 percent in April.

Services rose in price by 4.1 percent in May and more modestly by 3.7 percent in April.