Romanian construction output fell 0.4% on the month in February, the fourth sharpest decline in the European Union, official data showed Tuesday.

In the EU bloc, construction production inched up 0.7% in February compared with a month earlier, EU’s statistics office Eurostat said.

The largest monthly decreases in construction output were observed in Slovenia (-7.9%) and Slovakia (-3.8%), and the highest increases in the United Kingdom (+8.2%), Portugal (+4.3%) and Germany (+3.4%).

Compared with February 2010, construction output in Romania declined 0.7% in February, the data showed. The EU average construction output was up 2.9% on the year.

In annual terms, the biggest declines were recorded in Spain (-31.3%), Slovenia (-20%) and Bulgaria (-13.6%), and the highest increases in Germany (+56.3%), Poland (+21.3%) and the Netherlands (+15.4%).