Finland remains in recession and GDP is at around the same level it was in 2006, according to new figures from Statistics Finland. In the first quarter the Finnish economy contracted by 0.1 percent compared to the previous quarter.
Industrial output fell 0.7 percent, with chemical industries experiencing the biggest fall at 4.1 percent. Exports were 1.1 percent down quarter-on-quarter, while the fall compared to one year before was 0.2 percent. Imports rose 2.4 percent from the previous quarter and 0.6 percent compared to a year earlier.
All that leaves the economy the same size as it was in 2006, when adjusted for inflation and seasonal fluctuations.
According to the European statistical agency Eurostat, EU countries’ GDP rose by 0.4 percent in the first quarter compared to the last quarter of 2014.