The 20 countries that use the euro as their currency fell into a mild recession around the turn of the year, although the broader European economy avoided the downturn.
In the first three months of the year, gross domestic product (GDP) dropped by 0.1% in the euro area compared with the previous quarter, according to revised official data published Thursday. In the fourth quarter of 2022, GDP also decreased by 0.1%, the figures showed.
A recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction.