Consumer prices rose by 0.3% this April, influenced by the rise in petroleum products which are having a particular impact on service prices, according to a report from national statistics agency STATEC.
The annual rate of inflation is rising to 1.9%, while the monthly change in prices for goods and services excluding petroleum products went up 0.25% in April.
The report says that the prices of certain services are the main contributors to inflation, up 0.54%. On the eve of the Easter holidays, passenger prices went up 29.9% and package holidays up 1% on the previous month.
In financial services and mobile telephony, the bill also increased, with monthly increases of 7.3% and 1.4% respectively. In addition, some tenants were affected by higher rents, when went up 0.3% with a visible impact on monthly budgets.
In the food department, other dairy products, meat preparations, fresh fruits, mineral waters and non-mineral soft drinks pulled the general index upwards. Finally, smokers were also penalised in April with a pack price that went up by 0.8%.
On the other hand, a number of food products also went down. These include fresh vegetables, dried or smoked fish and seafood, and edible ices. Personal hygiene and games and hobbies also had a moderating effect on inflation in April.
Despite a drop in the price of diesel compared to the previous month, down 0.4%, petroleum products prices are rising, notably due to the price of gasoline. Filling at the pump increased 1.8% compared to March. Petroleum products were 14.1% higher than they were in April 2016. In April, motorists were rejoicing in lower prices for car and parking rental, as well as for maintenance and repairs.
The annual rate of inflation is now 1.9%, compared to 1.8% a month earlier. The general index for the month of April expressed in base 100 in 2015 is 102.04 points. The half-yearly average of the index connected to base 1.1.1948 increases from 836.37 to 838.19 points. The next indexing will be triggered when the value of 852.63 is reached or exceeded.
