Press release dated 21/09/2010

CONSTRUCTION INDEX OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY (ICC) 2nd quarter of 2010

The construction sector in the Basque Country fell by 14.2% in the second quarter of 2010

Building was down by 11.9%, while Civil Works dropped by 17.9%

Construction in the Basque Country registered a year-on-year nominal downturn of 14.2% in the second quarter of 2010, in homogeneous terms of the working calendar, according to EUSTAT data.

Once corrected for seasonal factors, the construction sector fell by 4.8% in the second quarter of 2010 compared to the first quarter of 2010.

The drop in the construction sector, in the second quarter of 2010, was mainly due to the negative performance of the Civil Works sub-sector, which registered a year-on-year downturn of 17.9%, compared to the more moderate fall (11.9%) posted by Building.

In quarter-on-quarter terms, if the activity of the sector in the second quarter of 2010 is compared to the previous quarter, the Building sub-sector performed negatively (2.4%) and Civil Works posted a downturn of 9.0%.

Employment in the construction sector fell by 3.9% compared to the first quarter of 2010 and was down by 8.5% with respect to the same quarter of the previous year.

For further information:

Basque Statistics Office C/ Donostia-San Sebastián, 1 01010 Vitoria-Gasteiz Tlf:+34-945-01 75 00 Fax:+34-945-01 75 01 E-mail: eustat@eustat.es Contact: Gerardo Pérez Aja T el:+34-945-01 75 06 F ax:+34-945-01 75 01 Further press releases on Construction index of the Basque Country (ICC) Database on Construction index of the Basque Country (ICC)