Among the largest member states, Spain again posted the strongest quarterly growth, with 0.8 percent, followed by France and Italy which expanded by 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent respectively.  

Germany, the eurozone’s largest economy was once again the outlier, contracting 0.1 percent quarter-on-quarter and disappointing hopes that it has finally left stagnation behind. Economists had projected 0.1 percent growth.

The country’s poor performance risks proving a drag on the region’s overall performance in the coming months, analysts said. 

“Looking ahead, the German economy will continue to hover between hope and despair,” said ING economist Carsten Brzeski. “With both the U.S. and the Chinese economies losing momentum, along with new trade tensions, there is very little hope for a strong export-driven recovery.”