Eurozone area to recover economic growth in 2013

Despite a 0.3 percent contraction in growth in the 17 Eurozone nations in the first quarter of 2013, the troubled area should recover in the second quarter and Gross Domestic Product in the Eurozone should strengthen for the remainder of the year, the National Statistics Institute (INSEE) said Thursday. INSEE said that second quarter GDP in the Eurozone should rise by 0.1 percent after six consecutive quarters of contraction. Third quarter growth in the zone should be 0.2 percent, rising another 0.3 percent in the last quarter of 2013, the statistics office said. This could be sufficient to help bring several nations in the Eurozone out of recession, particularly France and some of its southern neighbours. "The progressive improvement in exports and the slight resurgence of domestic demand in the second half should allow for a resumption of activity," INSEE said in its latest European report. Despite the relative optimism, INSEE warned that on-going budgetary consolidation and high levels of debt and the need to streamline bank debt would still weigh negatively on economic growth. Also, the report said that high unemployment levels in several Eurozone countries would continue to negatively impact purchasing power and consumption. Nonetheless, INSEE said that there was now more business and consumer optimism in the Eurozone area than in December 2012.