EU: Annual inflation up in April

By Muhammed Ali Gurtas

ANKARA (AA) - Consumer prices in the EU rose 1.9% year-on-year in April, the bloc's statistical office reported Friday.

Eurostat said the 28-member bloc's annual inflation rate surged 0.3 percentage points last month, up from 1.6% in March, as the figure was 1.5% a year ago.

Compared to the previous month, annual inflation fell in six member states, remained stable in two, and rose in 19 in April, while the data for the U.K. was not available for the month.

"The lowest annual rates were registered in Croatia (0.8%), Denmark and Portugal (both 0.9%).

"The highest annual rates were recorded in Romania (4.4%) and Hungary (3.9%)," Eurostat said.

Since 2008, the lowest annual inflation rate in the EU was in January 2015 at minus 0.5 percent -- when prices were in fact dropping -- and the highest was seen in July 2008, at 4.4 percent.