BRUSSELS, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- The annual inflation rate in the 17-member eurozone dropped for the second consecutive month in September, Eurostat confirmed Tuesday.
The official statistics office for the European Commission said the inflation rate for the 17-member currency region stood at 1.6 percent in July, then slid to 1.3 percent in August. In a confirmation of a flash estimate released at the end of September, Eurostat said the inflation rate slowed further, to 1.1 percent in September.
The annual inflation rate for the currency region is down from 2.6 percent in September 2012.
Eurostat said food, alcohol and tobacco prices posted an annual inflation rate of 2.6 percent in September while energy prices shrank 0.9 percent on an annual basis. Core items, which exclude food and energy items, rose 1 percent, Eurostat said.
The highest annual inflation rate in the eurozone was in Estonia with a rate of 2.6 percent. The lowest annual rate in the currency region was posted by Greece, where inflation is at an annual rate of minus 1 percent.
The figures largely confirm Eurostat's flash estimates for inflation released at the end of September.
The inflation rate for the 28-member European Union was 1.3 percent in September, down from 1.5 percent in August, Eurostat said.
