Producer prices rise in Europe

BRUSSELS, April 4 (UPI) -- Producer prices in the European Union rose 0.4 percent January to February, the region's data office said Thursday.

Prices rose 0.2 percent in the smaller 17-member eurozone, Eurostat said.

In January the month-to-month gain for both regions for industrial producer prices was 0.4 percent, the agency said.

From February 2012 to February 2013, producer prices rose 1.3 percent in both the European Union and the eurozone, the 17 nations that use the euro as currency.

Prices in the critical energy sector rose 0.4 percent month to month in the eurozone and 1.3 percent in the 27-member EU.

Core prices, which excludes energy, rose 0.1 percent in both regions.