Europe's economic recovery has stalled, new data showed today, with heavyweight Germany grinding to a standstill in the fourth quarter of 2009 despite gains for France and Poland.
Economic growth in the euro zone was a meagre 0.1% over the previous quarter compared to 0.4% growth in the third quarter, data agency Eurostat said in a second estimate.
Gross domestic product fell by an upwardly-revised 4.1% across the euro zone over the whole year, it added.
Germany flatlined after posting 0.7% growth in the previous quarter, but France tripled its rate to 0.6%, according to adjusted figures. Poland - the full, 27-nation European Union's fastest-growing economy in 2009 - saw its rate double to 1.2%.
Across the EU, growth also rose by 0.1% in the fourth quarter compared to the previous three months, and decreased by 2.3% over the year.
The European Commission yesterday proposed 10-year targets for a new green, innovative economy, seeking to avoid the long-term 'decline' of a bloc weakened by the global crisis and facing rising competition from emerging rivals, especially in Asia.
