Euro zone economy shrinks by record 12pc as pandemic bites

The effect of the coronavirus on the economy throughout the Euro zone shows a grim picture half-way through 2020. Following a 3.6 per cent contraction in the first three months, the Euro zone economy contracted by a record 12.1 per cent in the second quarter as coronavirus lockdowns caused business activity to shudder to a halt and consumer spending to dry up.

This confirmed that the single-currency area is in the worst recession since the euro came into existence at the start of 1999. A look at the figures of the economy of some of the Euro zone members shows the difficult times that lie ahead for them to make recovery.

The Italian, French and Spanish economies each suffered their worst quarters on record after imposing some of the strictest restrictions. Spain’s economy fared the worst of the bunch, contracting 18.5 per cent quarter on quarter. It followed a 5.2 per cent drop in the previous quarter and was much worse than the 16.1 per cent contraction analysts had expected.

Italy suffered a fall in GDP of 17.3 per cent after a drop of 5.4 per cent in the first quarter. It was better than expected, however. The French economy — the biggest of the three — contracted by a post-war record of 13.8 per cent. That drop was also better than expectations.

Europe became one of the global centres of the coronavirus pandemic in the spring. Cases and deaths varied sharply from country to country, however, allowingdifferentapproaches to lockdowns. Lithuania, Latvia and the Czech Republic fared relatively well. Their economies shrank by between five and eight per cent in the second quarter.

The coronavirus restrictions battered businesses and confined people to their homes, causing spending to plunge at a record rate. Current individual country GDP figures are far worse than anything seen since at least the Second World War.

The German economy contracted at a record rate in the second quarter of the year as the pandemic sent the country into lockdown. Germany’s GDP fell by 10.1 per cent quarter on quarter after shrinking 2.2 per cent in the first three months. Now, questions loom over the continent’s economic recovery as cases are on the rise again. Spain has been hit hard, causing concern for its tourism sector.

“Not only has the Spanish economy been one of the worst hit in the Euro zone,” said Jessica Hinds, European economist at Capital Economics. “But it also looks set to make a much weaker recovery than its neighbours.” Adding: “The tourism sector, which was barely getting back on its feet after the closure of borders during the lockdown, has been dealt a fresh blow by the resurgence in virus cases.”