BRUSSELS, Belgium

BUSINESS and consumer confidence in the 16 nations that use the euro hardly moved in June, according to an EU survey published yesterday that points to a slow and uncertain economic recovery in the region.

Economic growth in Europe’s currency union currently relies far more on exports than growth at home, where people are still reluctant to spend and companies aren’t keen to take on new hires. Unemployment in the eurozone reached a ten-year high of 10.1 per cent in April.

The European Union’s executive commission said its measure of economic sentiment among companies and shoppers in June fell to 100.1 from 100.2 a month earlier — as more upbeat views in Spain and Italy were outweighed by growing pessimism in France and the Netherlands.

Outside the eurozone, the survey showed Britain as having the biggest drop in confidence across the entire European Union.

Manufacturers in the eurozone are upbeat about new orders but see demand weakening, the survey says. Services companies are also more optimistic — but construction managers were worried about future prospects. Retailers saw no change to the business environment.

Consumer confidence also rose marginally with the European Commission attributing that to unemployment fears easing and more optimism about the economic situation.

A separate survey of eurozone industry managers was unchanged in June, at 0.37 the same as May — and after rising for 14 months from record lows.

The EU’s executive says this indicates that industry’s current economic recovery “will continue in the coming months, although it may lose momentum.” Managers are gloomy about recent production trends, it says, but upbeat about total and export orders in the future.