Bulgaria's annual inflation rate in December 2011 was 2%, the third lowest in the bloc after Sweden (0.4%) and Malta (1.3%), according to Eurostat's latest data.
The highest annual rates were observed in Slovakia (4.6%), Poland (4.5%) and Cyprus (4.2%). Compared with November 2011, annual inflation fell in twenty-one Member States, remained stable in two and rose in two.
The lowest 12-month averages up to December 2011 were registered in Sweden (1.4%), Slovenia and the Czech Republic (both 2.1%), and the highest in Romania (5.8%), Estonia (5.1%) and Latvia (4.2%).
EU annual inflation was 3.0% in December 2011, down from 3.4% in November. A year earlier the rate was 2.7%. Monthly inflation was 0.3% in December 2011.
Euro area annual inflation was 2.7% in December 2011, down from 3.0% in November. A year earlier the rate was 2.2%. Monthly inflation was 0.3% in December 2011.