Inflation in the eurozone edged back up in December, to 2.3 percent compared to 2.2 percent in November, provisional data released Tuesday by the EU statistics office Eurostat showed.
In November inflation had slowed to 2.2 percent, from 2.4 percent in October, as oil prices eased and the euro strengthened against the dollar.
The preliminary December figure for the 12-nation zone was based on data available from four countries -- Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain -- as well as oil price movements.
The 12-month rise in prices remained in breach of the European Central Bank's definition of price stability: 12-month inflation close to but below 2.0 percent.
By: N. Peter Kramer
