The economies of the euro zone and the European Union (EU) grew in the second quarter, both in relation to the same period of the previous year, and Portugal (4.9 percent) presented the second highest quarterly advance between Member States, according to Eurostat.

According to data released by the European statistical office, compared to the second quarter of 2020, between April and June the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the euro zone increased 14.3 percent and that of the EU 13.8 percent, after having retreated 1.2 percent in both zones in the previous quarter.

Seasonally adjusted GDP increased by 2.2 percent in the eurozone and 2.1 percent in the EU in the second quarter of 2021, compared to the previous quarter, in contrast to decreases of, respectively, 0.3 percent in the eurozone and 0.1 percent in the EU.