Higher oil prices amplified inflation in 2010

Year-on-year inflation, measured by consumer prices, reached 1.8% between end-2009 and end-2010, i.e., twice the pace of the previous year. In annual-average terms, the rise in the price index quickened from 0.1% in 2009 to 1.5% in 2010. While still driven by service prices, inflation owed its 2010 acceleration to energy prices. In the European Union, France kept its inflation rate close to that of Germany and the euro zone.