Spending in the eurozone fell 0.3 percent in the first three months of this year after falling 1 percent in the previous quarter. Across Europe, countries swiftly stockpiled energy reserves, and a mild winter, together with mass conservation efforts, helped avoid the worst. The strategy has helped drive down the price of energy, and ​inflation in the eurozone’s biggest economies climbed down from record highs. In May, the annual rate of inflation was 6.1 percent, the eurozone’s lowest level in more than a year. The International Monetary Fund has warned that European policymakers’ main challenge this year would be to tame inflation without stoking a severe recession.

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Persons: ” Claus Vistesen, “, ” Organizations: “, Pantheon, European Central Bank, Monetary Fund, ’, Analysts, ING Bank, Bank’s Locations: Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Netherlands, France, Ukraine, Europe