Malta posts highest EU inflation rate in April

Malta had the highest inflation rate in the European Union last month, according to new statistics issued yesterday by Eurostat, the EU's statistical arm.

Malta's inflation rate in April amounted to 3.6 per cent, a lot higher than the 0.4 per cent average of the 25 member states.

Having said that, Malta's inflation on an annual basis is lower than the EU average. In fact, when compared to the previous 12 months, the inflation rate in Malta stood at two per cent, or 0.1 per cent below the EU average.

In general terms, Eurostat said that throughout the 25 member states, the average annual inflation was 2.1 per cent, unchanged when compared to March. The lowest annual rates this April were observed in Sweden (0.4 per cent), Finland (1.1 per cent), the Netherlands (1.3 per cent), the Czech Republic and Germany (both 1.4 per cent). The highest rates were recorded in Latvia (7.1 per cent), Estonia (4.7 per cent), Hungary (3.8 per cent) and Luxembourg (3.7 per cent).

Compared to March 2005, the annual inflation rose in 12 member states, fell in 12 and remained stable in one.

The lowest 12-month averages up to April this year were recorded in Finland (0.3 per cent), Sweden (one per cent), Denmark (1.1 per cent) and the Netherlands (1.4 per cent); the highest in Latvia (6.9 per cent), Hungary (5.7 per cent), Slovakia (5.5 per cent) and Estonia (4.3 per cent).