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The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for Spain declined 0.1 percent. The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index™ (CEI) decreased 0.5 percent in May.

The total assets of euro area investment funds decreased further, but less than in the previous two quarters, to EUR 4,096 billion at end-March 2009, from EUR 4,232 billion in December 2008. This development was mainly due to a fall in the amount outstanding of shares and other equity, from EUR 1,133 billion to EUR 1,044 billion.

The Conference Board Leading Economic Index™ (LEI) for the U.K. increased by 1.0 percent in May to 91.4 (2004 = 100), following a 0.7 percent rise in April and a 0.9 percent drop in March. Volume of expected output, consumer confidence, stock prices and the yield spread made the largest positive contributions to the index.

As the summer holiday season gets underway, the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) – now held by 180 million Europeans - is celebrating its fifth birthday. Citizens from 31 European countries can use the card to get the medical care they need if they fall ill or have an accident in one of the participating countries (the EU, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland and Switzerland). Around 35% of Europeans now hold an EHIC, which simplifies procedures and cuts red tape for necessary medical treatment during a temporary stay abroad.

After four years of strong growth, the Belgian economy entered a deep recession during the second half of 2008 under the impact of the international crisis. The economy was first affected by the turmoil in the banking sector and subsequently by the collapse in international trade. The government swiftly intervened to support the financial system and implemented a moderately sized fiscal stimulus package that is broadly appropriate for a small open economy with substantial fiscal sustainability problems. The main challenge ahead is to support the economy by allowing the automatic stabilisers to work while restoring the path towards fiscal sustainability and implementing structural reforms to enhance long-term growth.

Euro area (EA16) GDP fell by 2.5% and EU27 GDP by 2.4% during the first quarter of 2009, compared with the previous quarter, according to second estimates from Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities. In the fourth quarter of 2008, growth rates were -1.8% in both zones.

More than 90% of consumers across the five major European markets - the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain-share an interest in health, according to a new study by TNS Healthcare, a Kantar Health Company. European woman are significantly more concerned with health than men, with 95% of females expressing interest in health issues vs. 89% of males. Age also makes a difference, with 55% of those older than 55 expressing an interest in health vs. just 44% of those between 18 and 24.

The European Commission unveiled a blueprint for an EU-wide method for classifying and reporting consumer complaints, inviting public comments on the proposal. The number of consumer complaints is a key indicator of market health. About half of European consumers who are dissatisfied with how their original complaint was handled by a trader turn to a third party such as a consumer organisation or regulator for help.

The Bank of England's (BoE) quarterly review of lending trends found that many firms are still experiencing the effects of the credit crunch, with business lending suffering its biggest drop in nine years.

In May 2009 a large majority of the average MFI interest rates on new deposits and new loans further decreased. All the average MFI interest rates on outstanding amounts of deposits and loans decreased.