Looking ahead, it would be good to help households that are or are at risk of being in a situation of energy poverty, not by offering permanent subsidies for the use of fossil energy sources, but by giving them a real opportunity to reduce energy waste and switch to renewable sources.
Real GDP in the euro area rose by 0.2%, quarter on quarter, in the first quarter of this year. Economic indicators, including survey results available up to June, signal a continuation of the very gradual recovery in the second quarter of 2014.