The euro zone economy expanded 0.3 per cent GDP during the final three months of 2025, Eurostat said on Friday. That was ahead of the 0.2 per cent growth expected by economists. Notably, the growth came despite the Irish economy contracting 0.6 per cent during the period. This time it was Spain that was the main driver of growth, with its GDP rising 0.8 per cent. Amid anaemic economic growth there, Germany had started to be referred to as the sick man of Europe.

Source: The Irish Times February 01, 2026 23:40 UTC