ISTANBUL

The annual inflation rate was at 1.9% in the euro area in February, up from 1.7% in January, Eurostat's data showed on Wednesday.

The February rate confirmed Eurostat's preliminary estimates, according to the data.

In the EU, the annual inflation rose to 2.1% in February, up from 2% in January.

Services had the highest annual rate in February at 3.4%, followed by food, alcohol, and tobacco at 2.5%, and non-energy industrial goods at 0.7%.

On the other hand, energy prices decreased by 3.1% in the month.

The highest inflation rates were seen in Romania with 8.3%, Slovakia with 4%, and Croatia with 3.9%.

Meanwhile, the lowest annual rates were seen in Denmark (0.5%), the Greek Cypriot Administration (0.9%), and the Czech Republic (1%).

On a monthly basis, consumer prices went up by 0.6% in the euro area, below estimates of 0.7%.