Tuesday, 28 October, 2025
London, UK
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 3:03 AM
broken clouds 12.5°C
Condition: Broken clouds
Humidity: 84%
Wind Speed: 24.1 km/h

Eurozone ekes out growth despite trade war

The eurozone economy edged higher in the second quarter of the year despite uncertainty created by the U.S.’s April 2 tariff package.

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the currency area grew by 0.1 percent quarter on quarter, slightly ahead of analyst forecasts, which saw it flat.

The result is broadly positive, suggesting that the economy has, so far, weathered both the effects of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war and the unwinding of the tariff front-running that boosted figures in the first quarter of the year.

Germany and Italy — the bloc’s two big manufacturing economies — performed less well, with GDP contracting by 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter. Franziska Palmas, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics, said that this leaves the long-suffering German economy at its pre-pandemic size.

“Germany is likely to be hit harder than other major economies by tariffs and continue to struggle this year before fiscal stimulus starts to boost the economy in 2026,” she said.

Spain continues to outperform, growing by 0.7 percent, making it the fastest-growing economy across the entire European Union.

The currency area’s economic performance, while hardly stellar, is solid enough to likely dissuade the European Central Bank’s Governing Council from lowering its key policy interest rate in September.

However, it remains to be seen how the eurozone reacts to the 15 percent tariffs enacted by its biggest trade partner, the U.S., as part of the trade deal struck by Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland.

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

Categories

Follow

    Newsletter

    Subscribe to receive your complimentary login credentials and unlock full access to all features and stories from Lord’s Press.

    As a journal of record, Lord’s Press remains freely accessible—thanks to the enduring support of our distinguished partners and patrons. Subscribing ensures uninterrupted access to our archives, special reports, and exclusive notices.

    LP is free thanks to our Sponsors

    Privacy Overview

    Privacy & Cookie Notice

    This website uses cookies to enhance your browsing experience and to help us understand how our content is accessed and used. Cookies are small text files stored in your browser that allow us to recognise your device upon return, retain your preferences, and gather anonymised usage statistics to improve site performance.

    Under EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process this data based on your consent. You will be prompted to accept or customise your cookie preferences when you first visit our site.

    You may adjust or withdraw your consent at any time via the cookie settings link in the website footer. For more information on how we handle your data, please refer to our full Privacy Policy