Daily life was 5.9 percent more expensive last month than a year earlier, the European statistical office Eurostat reports on the basis of a new calculation. Earlier, the agency reported that prices had risen by 5.8 percent on average.
Expensive energy in particular is driving up price increases. Gas and oil have already risen sharply in the run-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began February 24. Traders then took into account disruptions in the supply of oil from Russia due to the build-up of troops on the border with Ukraine. Food and services have also become more expensive, Eurostat reports.
The Netherlands was struggling with an above-average inflation of 7.3 percent. That was slightly less than in January. Prices rose the fastest in Lithuania and Estonia with inflation rates of 14 percent and 11.6 percent respectively.
Earlier this month, the Central Planning Bureau (CPB), an important adviser to the Dutch government, warned that purchasing power will decline significantly, partly due to the war in Ukraine. The government wants to counteract this decline in purchasing power by lowering taxes and excise duties on gas, electricity and petrol.