BRUSSELS, Sept 19: Industrial output in the 12-nation euro zone declined 0.9 percent in July compared to June and was down 0.5 per cent from July 2001, the statistics office Eurostat reported Thursday.

Output in June compared with May had risen one per cent.

Production in the 15-nation European Union — the euro zone plus Britain, Denmark and Sweden — fell 0.2 per cent in July over June and 0.7 percent on the year.

The construction sector in the euro zone showed a 1.2 per cent decline in the second quarter compared with the first and a 1.3 per cent fall from second quarter 2001.

In the full EU, construction output was down 0.8 per cent in the second quarter compared to the first and 0.2 per cent from the same period last year.—AFP