Europe 1 with AFP 9:05 a.m., April 29, 2022, modified at 9:09 a.m., April 29, 2022

According to a first estimate published Friday by INSEE, inflation continued to accelerate in April in France to reach 4.8% over one year.

The rise in prices was moderate in April, but those of services, manufactured goods and food, on the other hand, rose more rapidly than in the previous months.

Inflation continued to accelerate in April in France to settle at 4.8% over one year, according to an initial estimate published Friday by INSEE.

After reaching 3.6% in February and 4.5% in March on an annual basis, the rise in prices was moderated in April by a lesser acceleration in energy prices.

These nevertheless increased by 26.6% over one year, after having jumped by 29.2% in March.

Prices of manufactured goods up 2.7%

In this first estimate, INSEE estimates that in April, “energy prices would fall back in line with the fall in the price of petroleum products, and those of manufactured products would slow down”.

On the other hand, the waltz of labels is accelerating in food, services and manufactured goods.

On the first item, inflation reached 3.8% over one year, after rising 2.9% in March.

The prices of manufactured goods and services increased by 2.7% and 2.9% respectively compared to April 2021.

Over one month, consumer prices increased by 0.4%, after 1.4% between February and March 2022. The harmonized index (HICP), which serves as a basis for comparison at European level, increased for its part by 5.4% on an annual basis, after 5.1% in March.

The slight slowdown in the rate of inflation growth places France in a broader European trend.

7.4% inflation for Germany, 8.4% for Spain

On Thursday, Germany thus announced an inflation rate of 7.4% over one year in April, after 7.3% in March.

On the same day, the indicator reached 8.4% in Spain, down from March (9.8%).

The Italian inflation figure is expected later on Friday morning.

Thursday, the vice-president of the European Central Bank Luis de Guindos had judged inflation in the euro zone "very close" to its peak.

Despite this apparent slowdown in the rate of inflation, the consumer price index remains at a historically high level in Europe.

In France, the inflation rate reached in March was a peak not seen since the mid-1980s. Insee is due to publish its final estimate of inflation in April on May 13.