The unemployment rate in the European Union was of 6.5% in February, stable compared to the previous month and decreasing compared to 6.9% in the same period of 2019, data released Wednesday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat) shows.

This is the lowest level of the unemployment rate in the EU since Eurostat publishes monthly unemployment statistics, respectively February 2000, according to Agerpres.

Among the Member States, the lowest unemployment rates were registered in the Czech Republic (2%), Poland and the Netherlands (both with 2.9%), Germany (3.2%), Malta (3.3%), Slovenia (3.6%) and Romania (3.9%). Greece (16.3% in December 2019) and Spain (13.6%) are at the opposite pole.

In the euro area, the unemployment rate stood at 7.3% in February, down from 7.4% the previous month and compared to 7.8% in the same period of 2019. This is the lowest level of the unemployment rate registered in the euro area since March 2008.

Eurostat estimates that in the euro area about 12 million people (out of the total population estimated at 330 million) were unemployed in February, 663,000 fewer than in the similar period of 2019.