Eurozone jobless rate at 15-year record high of 10.8%April 2, 2012 - 15:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The eurozone unemployment rate hit a 15-year record high of 10.8 percent in February, up from 10.7 per cent the previous month, official figures showed on Monday, April 2, according to AFP. The Eurostat data agency estimated that more than 17.1 million men and women were out of work in February after the ranks of the unemployed rose by 1.48 million compared with February 2011. The seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate also rose to a new record in the wider, 27-nation European Union, hitting 10.2 per cent in February compared to 10.1 the previous month. An estimated 24.55 million people were unemployed in the EU, an increase of 1.87 million from February 2011. The unemployment rate rose in 18 EU states and fell in eight others compared to a year ago. It remained stable in Romania. Spain remained the nation with the highest rate at 23.6 percent, followed by Greece at 21 percent. The Greek figures date from December. The states with the lowest rates were Austria (4.2 percent), the Netherlands (4.9 percent), Luxembourg (5.2 percent) and Germany (5.7 percent). Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |