French consumer price index (CPI) grew by 0.4 percent in December as soaring prices of services and fresh products pulled up the country's inflation rate, statistics showed Thursday.
On yearly basis, the CPI jumped by 2.5 percent above a government forecast of 2.1 percent, the national statistics bureau Insee said in its monthly report.
The rising prices stemmed mainly from higher prices of services, which increased by 0.5 percent due to the rising prices of tourism services during holidays and the minimum-wage increase taking effect on Dec. 1, the Insee said.
A 0.9-percent rise in fresh products prices drove higher food costs by 0.3 percent, while prices of manufactured products rose by 0.5 percent due to growing costs of textile and leather goods.
Due to warm weather, energy costs inched down by 0.1 percent over the period.
French officials set inflation rate at 1.7 percent for the whole year of 2012./.