BRUSSELS - Eurozone inflation soared to 3.0 percent in September, official figures showed Friday, just days before outgoing European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet chairs his last policy meeting.
The EU said the annual rate of price rises across the 17-nation currency area in September was 3.0 percent, a dramatic rise from 2.5 percent in August after Brussels said it had peaked, and well above the ECB's target of below but close to 2.0 percent.
An increase was expected after major economy Germany announced a spike to 2.8 percent but the figure was still a surprise just two weeks after the European Commission said inflation "seems to have peaked in the second quarter of 2011."
Inflation in the non-euro area is also running high. In neighbouring Britain, the Bank of England, expected to launch a new round of stimulus under "quantative easing," or printing money to bolster a slowing economy, has forecast inflation will hit 5.0 percent this year.
Separately, the rate of eurozone unemployment was steady at 10 percent in August, official figures showed, but the actual numbers of people out of work fell across the single currency area.
Eurostat, the European Union's statistics agency, said seasonally-adjusted unemployment across the 17 nations sharing the euro remained at 10 percent, for a fourth month running.
Eurostat estimated that just over 15.7 million people were looking for jobs in the eurozone in August, down 38,000 from the previous month.
In the wider 27-nation EU, which includes non-euro members Britain and Poland, the unemployment rate was also steady at 9.5 percent.
Nearly 22.8 million people were unemployed across the EU, 62,000 less than in July.
The EU said the annual rate of price rises across the 17-nation currency area in September was 3.0 percent, a dramatic rise from 2.5 percent in August after Brussels said it had peaked, and well above the ECB's target of below but close to 2.0 percent.
An increase was expected after major economy Germany announced a spike to 2.8 percent but the figure was still a surprise just two weeks after the European Commission said inflation "seems to have peaked in the second quarter of 2011."
Inflation in the non-euro area is also running high. In neighbouring Britain, the Bank of England, expected to launch a new round of stimulus under "quantative easing," or printing money to bolster a slowing economy, has forecast inflation will hit 5.0 percent this year.
Separately, the rate of eurozone unemployment was steady at 10 percent in August, official figures showed, but the actual numbers of people out of work fell across the single currency area.
Eurostat, the European Union's statistics agency, said seasonally-adjusted unemployment across the 17 nations sharing the euro remained at 10 percent, for a fourth month running.
Eurostat estimated that just over 15.7 million people were looking for jobs in the eurozone in August, down 38,000 from the previous month.
In the wider 27-nation EU, which includes non-euro members Britain and Poland, the unemployment rate was also steady at 9.5 percent.
Nearly 22.8 million people were unemployed across the EU, 62,000 less than in July.
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