Seasonally adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.4 percent quarter-on-quarter in the euro area and 0.5 percent in the wider European Union (EU) in the second quarter (Q2) of 2026, Eurostat, the EU's statistical office, said in a preliminary flash estimate released on Thursday.
On a year-on-year basis, GDP expanded by 1.0 percent in the euro area and by 1.2 percent in the EU, up from 0.5 percent and 0.8 percent respectively in the previous quarter.
Among members with available Q2 data, Ireland recorded the strongest quarter-on-quarter growth at 3.9 percent, followed by Lithuania at 1.7 percent and Sweden at 1.4 percent. Belgium and Austria recorded the lowest growth rates, both registering no growth.
For the euro area's largest economies, Germany, France and Italy each recorded quarter-on-quarter GDP growth of 0.2 percent in the second quarter of 2026, while Spain's economy expanded by 0.7 percent, Eurostat data showed.
The latest figures followed a flat first quarter of 2026, when GDP remained stable in the euro area and increased by 0.1 percent in the EU, pointing to a rebound in the second quarter.
Bert Colijn, chief economist for the Netherlands at ING, said the conflict in the Middle East currently represented the main downside risk to the euro area economy.
However, unless the conflict undergoes a prolonged and significant re-escalation, euro area GDP could continue to grow at a solid, though unspectacular, pace in the coming quarters, he said.
The European Central Bank (ECB) decided last week to keep its three key interest rates unchanged, saying its Governing Council remained well positioned to navigate the uncertainty caused by the Middle East conflict.
Eurozone GDP up 0.4 pct in Q2: Eurostat
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said that Tehran currently has no plans to meet with U.S. officials, while consultations with Qatari and Pakistani mediators continue over Iran's conditions for resolving the crisis, Qatar's Al Jazeera reported Saturday.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Araghchi dismissed reports of possible meetings as media speculation, saying Iran saw no need to meet with American officials at present.
He said Tehran would decide whether to hold direct or indirect negotiations after Washington accepted Iran's conditions.
Araghchi said an Iranian delegation had traveled to Qatar for further discussions, adding that his aide was there to continue consultations with mediators.
According to Araghchi, Iran's conditions include recognition of a new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran had worked out with Oman, and the closure of other routes.
He said Tehran also sought the lifting of sanctions imposed after the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a reduction in U.S. military forces in the region, the restoration of sanctions waivers for Iranian oil exports, and the release of all frozen Iranian funds, including those held in Qatar.
Iran also demanded an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, he said.
Araghchi said mediators had presented proposals concerning Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran was reviewing as part of what he described as a second phase.
The Iranian foreign minister also said a letter from U.S. Vice President JD Vance had been reviewed at high-level meetings, describing the American effort to open the door to broader dialogue and understanding as a "positive step."
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and other Iranian cities. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the region, and tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire was achieved between the warring parties on April 8. On June 18, Iran and the United States signed the MoU on ending the war in the region on all fronts.
Under the MoU, the two countries were scheduled to hold negotiations within 60 days, ending on Aug 17, to reach a final agreement on Iran's nuclear program and the removal of sanctions. However, they failed to make sufficient progress toward a deal.
Iran says no plans to meet U.S. officials, consultations with mediators continue
Iran says no plans to meet U.S. officials, consultations with mediators continue
