Euro zone economy to shrink 0.3 pct in 2012 - EU source

February 23, 2012 9:28 AM GMT

Economic output in the euro zone is forecast to contract 0.3 percent in 2012 and in Spain will shrink by 1.0 percent, an EU source told Reuters on Thursday, ahead of the release of official forecasts from the European Commission.

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The recession in the 17-nation bloc will be the second in three years as Europe's public debt crisis has damaged business confidence and killed off the strong recovery from the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.

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Full EU forecasts will be released at 1000 GMT.

(Reporting By Julien Toyer; writing by Robin Emmott; editing by Rex Merrifield)

Copyright 2012 Thomson Reuters UK. All rights reserved.
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