Food, alcohol and tobacco prices rose 2.1 percent in March, compared with a flash 2.2 percent and 1 percent in the previous month, as unprocessed food prices rebounded 0.8 percent (vs flash 0.9 percent and February's -0.9 percent) and processed food, alcohol and tobacco cost increased 2.9 percent (vs flash 3 percent and February's 2.3 percent). Also, services inflation picked up to 1.5 percent from 1.3 percent in the previous period. Meanwhile, prices rose at a softer pace for both non-energy industrial goods (0.2 percent vs 0.6 percent) and energy (2 percent vs 2.1 percent).
Among Eurozone's largest economies, the highest annual rate was registered in France (1.7 percent), followed by Germany (1.5 percent), Spain (1.3 percent) and Italy (0.9 percent).
Annual core inflation, which excludes volatile prices of energy, food, alcohol and tobacco and at which the ECB looks in its policy decisions, was confirmed at 1 percent in March, the same as in the previous month.
On a monthly basis, consumer prices rose 1 percent in March, following a 0.2 percent gain in February and matching market consensus.