Eurozone growth came despite a 0.1% contraction in France, fuelling concerns over its public finances and political tensions ahead of next spring's election. (EPA Images pic)BRUSSELS: The eurozone economy grew more than expected in the third quarter, official data showed Friday, demonstrating resilience despite the impact of the Middle East war and surging energy costs.
The EU's statistics agency said GDP across the 21-country single currency area expanded by 0.4% in the quarter, a slowdown from the 0.6% rate seen in the second quarter.
The figure was higher than the 0.2% predicted by economists surveyed by Bloomberg.
"The eurozone economy seems to have shrugged off the Middle East crisis," Bert Colijn, chief economist at ING, said in a note. "Despite a worsening energy shock, the economy continues to be resilient."
