The economy of euro countries grew slightly at the beginning of this year | Economy

The economy in the euro countries grew by 0.3 percent compared to the previous quarter, according to preliminary figures from the European statistical agency Eurostat.

In the third and fourth quarters of 2023, the economy shrank slightly by 0.1 percent. We usually talk about a recession when the economy contracts for two or more consecutive quarters. Although the economy shrank only slightly between June and December last year, we called it a recession. Now that the economy is picking up again, this is no longer the case.

Although data from the first quarter of the Dutch economy are not yet available, Eurostat already reports that the economies of Germany and France grew by 0.2 percent in the first three months of this year. The Spanish economy grew the most, with another 0.7 percent. The Italian economy grew by 0.3 percent.