Unemployment in Europe ticks higher

The unemployment rate in Europe rose in February compared to January, the European Union's data office said Monday. The unemployment rate in the 17-countries that share the euro as currency -- known as the eurozone -- rose form 10.7 percent to 10.8 percent month-to-month. In February 2011, the rate stood at 10 percent. In the European Union, a 27-nation region that encompasses the eurozone, the rate climbed from 10.1 percent to 10.2 percent month-to-month. From 12 months prior, the rate is up from 9.5 percent in the EU. The countries with the lowest unemployment rates in the region are Austria at 4.2 percent, the Netherlands at 4.9 percent, Luxembourg at 5.2 percent and Germany at 5.7 percent. The highest unemployment rate in the EU is in Spain with a rate of 23.6 percent. In Greece, the rate stands at 21 percent. In eight European countries, the unemployment rate has dropped in the past 12 months. It increased in 18 states and remained stable in Romania, Eurostat said.