Harmonized index of consumer prices, 15 August 2003

HICP for Norway rose by 0.4 per cent from July to August mainly due to a sharp increase in tariffs on electricity and more moderate growth in petrol prices. The year-to-year change was 2.0 per cent in August, up from 1.2 per cent in July. See http://www.ssb.no/kpi_en/ for more details.

The figures for EEA, Euro-zone and the EU are provisional from June 2002 to June 2003 and estimated for July 2003 because of an error that has occurred in the consumer price index in the Netherlands.

Year-to-year change in the EEA

From July 2002 to July 2003 the consumer prices in the EEA went up by 1.8 per cent. Ireland had the highest price growth in July by 3.9 per cent. The lowest consumer price growth in July was registered in Germany and Iceland by 0.8 and 0.9 per cent respectively.

From July last year to July 2003 household payments for education had the largest growth rate in the EEA of 5.2 per cent. The prices of alcoholic beverages and tobacco as a total went up by 4.5 per cent in the EEA, whereof the prices of tobacco increased the most in almost all countries.

During the last 12 months the prices of communications, culture and recreation, clothing and footwear declined slightly. The decrease was mainly caused by a price reduction of telephone equipment and -services and audiovisual equipment and clothing and footwear.

In advance, Eurostat estimated the year-to-year change in July in the Euro-zone to 1.9 per cent, which turned out to be the actual price growth. Expected growth in the consumer prices in the Euro-zone in August is 2.1 per cent. The HICP for the European Union increased by 1.8 per cent in July.