Source: European Commission

The Winter 2021 Economic Forecast projects that the euro area economy will grow by 3.8% in both 2021 and 2022. The forecast projects that the EU economy will grow by 3.7% in 2021 and 3.9% in 2022.

The euro area and EU economies are expected to reach their pre-crisis levels of output earlier than anticipated in the Autumn 2020 Economic Forecast, largely because of the stronger than expected growth momentum projected in the second half of 2021 and in 2022. 

After strong growth in the third quarter of 2020, economic activity contracted again in the fourth quarter as a second wave of the pandemic triggered renewed containment measures. With those measures still in place, the EU and euro area economies are expected to contract in the first quarter of 2021. Economic growth is set to resume in the spring and gather momentum in the summer as vaccination programmes progress and containment measures gradually ease. An improved outlook for the global economy is also set to support the recovery.

The economic impact of the pandemic remains uneven across Member States and the speed of the recovery is also projected to vary significantly.

• The European Commission's next forecast will be the Spring 2021 Economic Forecast in May 2021.

For More Information. Full document: Winter 2021 Economic Forecast

Remarks by Commissioner Gentiloni at the press conference on the Winter 2021 Economic Forecast: HERE