ECONOMY : SENTIMENT CONTINUES TO IMPROVE.

• Position: Brief article

In December 2010, the Economic Sentiment Indicator (ESI) improved further in both the EU and the eurozone. The indicator increased significantly, climbing to 106.1 (+1 point) in the EU and 106.2 (+1.1 points) in the eurozone, driven in particular by strong positive readings in France and Germany. These are the findings of a monthly report published on 6 January by the European Commission, based on the results of a survey among entrepreneurs and consumers on the economic situation.

A majority of member states reported an improvement in sentiment. Among the seven largest member states, only Spain registered a decrease (-0.9). France registered the most significant increase (+2.5), followed by the Netherlands (+2.4), Germany (+1.5) and Poland (+1.3), while improvements were less pronounced in Italy (+0.8) and the UK (+0.7).

Sentiment in industry, which increased sharply by 3.6 points in the EU and by 3.3 points...