Germany's consumer price inflation eased in February, defying expectations of stability, preliminary figures from Destatis showed on Thursday.
The consumer price index rose 1.2 percent year-on-year in February, according to the flash estimate. Economists had expected the rate remain unchanged at January's 1.3 percent.
Inflation eased for a second straight month from December's 1.4 percent. The agency is set to release detail data on March 14.
Destatis blamed the low inflation rate on the second consecutive fall in energy prices. They decreased 2.7 percent, following a 1.8 percent decline in January.
Food prices are estimated to have risen 3.5 percent, slightly less than January's 3.6 percent gain.
The EU measure of inflation, the harmonized index of consumer prices or HICP, rose 1 percent annually in February. That is slower than January's 1.2 percent increase. Economists had forecast a 1.1 percent rise for February.
The HICP inflation is well below the European Central Bank's goal of keeping the rate 'below, but close to 2 percent'.
Month-on-month, the CPI rose 0.5 percent, almost reversing a 0.6 percent decline in the previous month. Economists were looking for a 0.6 percent increase.
The HICP also climbed 0.5 percent monthly, nearly erasing January's 0.7 percent slump. Economists had predicted a 0.7 percent gain.
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