price inflation fell to 5.2% in August in the euro zone

The price rise continues, but slowly. The annual inflation rate in the euro zone fell to 5.2% in August, compared to 5.3% in July, the European statistics office, Eurostat, announced on Tuesday September 19. Inflation in the 20 countries sharing the single currency has been halved since the record of 10.6%, reached in October 2022, when the effects of the war in Ukraine on gas and oil prices were felt full. Across the European Union, inflation rose to 5.9% in August, up from 6.1% in July.

In an attempt to stem the surge in consumer prices, the European Central Bank has embarked on monetary tightening on an unprecedented scale. On Thursday, it raised its benchmark interest rate to 4%, its highest level since 1999. The force of the economic slowdown, aggravated by rising rates, is sparking debate over whether or not tightening should continue.