Annual inflation in the eurozone reached 2.2 percent in September, up from 2 percent in the previous month, reaching the highest level since April of this year, according to a flash estimate published on Wednesday by Eurostat -- the statistical office of the 27-nation European Union.
Among inflation's key drivers, services led the pack with a 3.2 percent annual increase, up slightly from 3.1 percent in August, according to statistics released by Eurostat.
Annual inflation for food, alcohol and tobacco fell to 3 percent in September from 3.2 percent in August, while non-energy industrial goods were steady at 0.8 percent. Energy prices declined 0.4 percent year on year, compared with a 2 percent drop in August.
The core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, remained steady at 2.3 percent, the same as in August.
Among eurozone members, Estonia led with an annual inflation of 5.2 percent, down from 6.2 percent in the previous month, while Cyprus's inflation was flat at 0.0 percent.
Among major economies, Germany's annual inflation rose from 2.1 percent in August to 2.4 percent in September. Inflation in Spain reached 3 percent, up from 2.7 percent in the previous month, while France's inflation rate rose from 0.8 percent in August to 1.1 percent in September.
Though the inflation rate of 2.2 percent for September is above the European Central Bank's (ECB) 2-percent mark, ECB President Christine Lagarde said that current inflation risks are generally manageable and that there is no urgent need to adjust monetary policy.
Eurozone inflation ticks up to 2.2 percent in Sept: Eurostat
