STAT/06/40
31 March 2006
Flash estimate - March 2006 Euro-zone inflation estimated at 2.2%
Euro-zone1 annual inflation2 is expected to be 2.2% in March 2006 according to a flash estimate issued by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. It was 2.3% in February3.
Computation of flash estimates
Euro-zone inflation is measured by the Monetary Union Index of Consumer Prices (MUICP). To compute the MUICP flash estimates, Eurostat uses early price information relating to the reference month from Member States for which data are available as well as early information about energy prices.
The flash estimation procedure for the MUICP combines historical information with partial information on price developments in the most recent months to give a total index for the euro-zone. No detailed breakdown is available. Experience has shown the procedure to be reliable (13 times exactly anticipating the inflation rate, 10 times differing by 0.1 and once differing by 0.2, in January 2005, over the last two years). Further information can be found in Eurostat News Release 113/2001 of 5 November 2001.
Future provisional publication dates
Index for MUICP flash estimates News release on MUICP, EU25 and Member States March 2006 - 20 April 2006 April 2006 28 April 2006 17 May 2006 May 2006 31 May 2006 15 June 2006 The Member States participating in the euro-zone are Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal and Finland. Annual inflation is the price change between the current month and the same month of the previous year. See News Release 34/2006 of 16 March 2006. Issued by: Eurostat Press Office Philippe BAUTIER BECH Building L-2920 LUXEMBOURG Tel: +352-4301-33 444 Fax: +352-4301-35 349 eurostat-pressoffice@ec.europa.eu For further information on data: João LIBÓRIO Tel: +352-4301-38 137 Fax: +352-4301-33 989 estat-hicp-methods@ec.europa.eu Eurostat News Releases on the Internet: http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/ 
