BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - Belgium's economy expanded at a faster pace in the second quarter, preliminary estimates from the National Bank of Belgium showed Thursday.
Gross domestic product grew a seasonally and calendar adjusted 1.4 percent from the first quarter, when the economy expanded 1.1 percent.
The economy grew for a second quarter in a row.
Compared to the same quarter last year, GDP surged 14.5 percent in the second quarter, which was the first increase since the final three months of 2019. In the first quarter, the economy shrank 0.5 percent.
'However economic activity has still not regained the level prevailing before the COVID-19 crisis since the evolution remains negative compared to the fourth quarter of 2019,' the bank said.
Quarter-on-quarter, the value added rose 1.1 percent in industry, 0.5 percent in construction and 1.4 percent in services.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX