The eurozone economy expanded by 0.4% in the second quarter of 2026, matching market expectations, according to a flash estimate released by Eurostat on Friday.
The quarterly growth marked an acceleration from the first quarter, when gross domestic product (GDP) remained unchanged.
The EU economy grew by 0.5% quarter-on-quarter in the April-June period, following growth of 0.1% in the previous quarter.
On an annual basis, GDP increased by 1% in the euro area and 1.2% in the EU during the second quarter, compared with respective growth rates of 0.5% and 0.8% in the first quarter.
Among EU members for which data were available, Ireland recorded the strongest quarterly growth at 3.9%, followed by Slovenia at 1.8%, Lithuania at 1.7% and Sweden at 1.4%.
Spain’s economy expanded by 0.7%, while Germany, France and Italy each posted growth of 0.2%.
GDP remained unchanged in Belgium, Austria and Romania.
On an annual basis, Slovenia recorded the highest growth rate at 4.8%, followed by Lithuania at 3.8%, Poland at 3.7% and the Greek Cypriot Administration at 3.3%.
Romania and Ireland were the only countries to report annual contractions, of 2% and 5.6%, respectively.
Employment in both the euro area and the EU increased by 0.1% in the second quarter compared with the previous three-month period.
Compared with the same quarter last year, employment rose by 0.5% in both regions.
For comparison, the US economy grew by 0.4% quarter-on-quarter and 2.1% year-on-year in the second quarter.