Staff shortages, supply backups batter EU economic growth

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is seeing its economic emergence from the unprecedented COVID-19 slowdown hampered by coronavirus-induced staff shortages, supply bottlenecks, runaway energy prices and subsequent inflation surges. The European Commission said Thursday that even though the economy has rebounded from losses at the height of the pandemic crisis, key challenges remain on the path to a sense of normalcy. After the 27-nation bloc enjoyed a huge economic turnaround for much of last year, growth is expected to have slowed again to 0.4% in the last quarter of 2021, compared with 2.2% in the previous quarter.