According to the report from Eurostat, in the third quarter 2020, seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 12.7% in the euro area and by 12.1% in the EU, compared with the previous quarter. These were by far the sharpest increases observed since time series started in 1995, and a rebound compared to the second quarter of 2020, when GDP had decreased by 11.8% in the euro area and by 11.4% in the EU. Economists had expected a 9.4% increase in the euro area.

Compared with the same quarter of the previous year, seasonally adjusted GDP has however decreased by 4.3% in the euro area and by 3.9% in the EU in the third quarter of 2020, which represents a partial recovery after -14.8% and -13.9% respectively in the previous quarter.

Among the Member States, for which data are available for the third quarter 2020, France (+18.2%) recorded the highest increase compared to the previous quarter, followed by Spain (+16.7%) and Italy (+16.1%). Lithuania (+3.7%), Czechia (+6.2%) and Latvia (+6.6%) recorded the lowest increases. While a rebound was observed for all publishing countries compared to the second quarter, the year on year growth rates were still negative.