德国和法国的经济在今年第二季度出现增长,结束各自的经济衰退。

德国联邦统计办公室星期四说,在调整季节因素后,今年第二季度的国内生产总值与2008年同期相比增长0.3个百分点。法国财长星期四说,法国的国内生产总值同样在第二季度增长0.3个百分点,结束了一年的下降。

经济学家之前预测德国和法国的国内生产总值会下降大约0.3%。欧盟的官方数字显示, 16个欧元区国家的经济衰退已经在很大程度上得到缓解。欧盟今年第二季度的产出仅下降0.1%,比上个季度猛跌创记录的2.5%有很大的改善。

The German and French economies showed growth in the second quarter of the year, ending their recessions.Germany’s Federal Statistics Office said Thursday the country’s gross domestic product, which measures all goods and services made within the nation, increased 0.3 percent over the same quarter in 2008 when adjusted for seasonal factors.France’s finance minister said Thursday her country’s GDP also rose 0.3 percent in the second quarter, after a year of decreases.

Economists had predicted that the GDPs of both countries would fall about 0.3 percent.

Official data from the European Union says the recession eased substantially in the 16 countries that use the euro. Output across the EU fell only 0.1 percent in the second quarter, a huge improvement after plunging a record 2.5 percent in the previous quarter.