The eurozone'd annual inflation rate was confirmed at 2.4 percent in Feburary,in line with the flash estimate made earlier this month, the EU statistic office Eurostat said Wednesday.
Eurostat said rising consumer prices in the 17-member eurozone in Feburary was mainly due to price increases in the energy sector, which increased 13.1 percent compared to a year ago.
Excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, whose prices tend to be volatile, core annual inflation in the eurozone was 1.0 percent, lower than the 1.1 percent in January.
The main components with the highest annual rates in February were transport, housing, alcohol and tobacco, while the lowest annual rate was observed for clothing,communications, and recreation and culture.
As inflation rate in the eurozone breached the "close but below 2 percent" target preferred by the European Central Bank (ECB) for the third month, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet said earlier this month that the ECB may raise interest rates next month due to mounting inflationary pressures.
In the 27-nation EU, annual inflation was 2.8 percent in Feburary, unchanged compared to January.
In Feburary, the lowest annual inflation rate was observed in Ireland, where consumer prices were up by 0.9 percent, while Romania registered the highest rate of 6.7 percent.