Producer prices slip in Europe

Producer prices in the European Union were down slightly in April compared to March, the region's data office said Tuesday. In the eurozone prices producers receive slid 0.6 percent month to month. In the larger European Union, producer prices were off 0.7 percent March to April, Eurostat said. In both regions, producer prices were off 0.2 percent from April 2012. The agency said producer prices excluding the energy sector fell 0.2 percent March to April in the eurozone and 0.1 percent in the EU. Prices in the energy sector, isolated from other data, fell 1.6 percent in the 17-member region that shares the euro as currency and 2 percent in the EU as a whole. In countries were data was available, producer prices fell furthest in Britain, off 1.5 percent, followed by Belgium, off 1.4 percent and Greece and the Netherlands, off 1.3 percent. Prices rose 1.1 percent in Latvia, 0.4 percent in Denmark and 0.2 percent in Estonia.