BRUSSELS, March 29 (UPI) -- The European Commission said Thursday economic confidence grew weaker in the European Union in March, but held stable in the eurozone.
The Economic Sentiment Indicator for the EU fell by 0.8 points to 93.2. In the eurozone, the 17-country region that uses the euro as currency, the Indicator fell 0.1 points to 94.4.
The commission said the declines in the confidence measures were "mainly driven by decreasing confidence in the industry and construction sectors."
"By contrast, confidence increased among consumers and in the services and retail trade sectors," the report said.
Among the largest European economies, the confidence measures the most sharply in Britain (down 2.5 points), Germany (down 2.4 points), the Netherlands (down 1.3 points) and Spain (down 1.1 points).
Confidence improved dramatically in Italy (up 3.5 points), Poland (up 2.2 points) and France (up 2 points).
The index assigns the 1990-2009 average a numerical value of 100. Below 100 indicates confidence has fallen below that 20-year average.
