The European Commission said on Thursday that euro area gross domestic product (GDP) is forecast to expand by 1.1 percent in 2019 and by 1.2 percent in 2020 and 2021.

 

欧盟委员会周四表示，欧元区2019年GDP预计增长1.1%，2020年和2021年预计增长1.2%。

 

Compared with the projections¹ the European Union's executive arm published in July, the growth forecast has been downgraded by 0.1 percentage points for 2019 and 0.2 percentage points for 2020.

 

The European economy is in its seventh consecutive² year of expansion, but the bloc³ now "looks to be heading towards a protracted⁴ period of more subdued⁵ growth and muted inflation," the commission said in a statement.

 

"The external environment has become much less supportive and uncertainty⁶ is running high. This is particularly affecting the manufacturing sector⁷, which is also experiencing structural⁸ shifts," it said.

 

The commission said trade tensions between the United States and China and high levels of policy uncertainty, especially with respect to trade, have dampened investment, manufacturing and international trade.

 

"With global GDP growth set to remain weak, growth in Europe will depend on the strength of more domestically-oriented sectors," it said.

 

Vice⁹ President of the European Commission for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis said the bloc would face "troubled waters ahead," including "a period of high uncertainty related to trade conflicts, rising geopolitical tensions, persistent¹⁰ weakness in the manufacturing sector and Brexit."

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