Official figures show that the annual inflation rate in the euro zone accelerated in December.
Consumer prices climbed at an annual rate of 0.9% in the month, according to a flash estimate from the EU's Eurostat data agency. This compared with a revised 0.5% rate in November, which marked the first time prices compared with a year earlier had risen since April.
The previous month's rise largely reflected energy costs that have risen again after a collapse in the price of oil and gas during the financial crisis.
Revised EU estimates for euro zone economic growth predict 0.7% for 2010 and 1.5% in 2011.
