EU expects recession to hit this year as inflation hangs on

By DAVID McHUGH
AP Business Writer

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Union’s executive commission slashed its forecast for economic growth next year. It says saying that the 19 countries that use the euro currency will slide into recession over the winter as peak inflation hangs on for longer than expected and high fuel and heating costs erode consumer purchasing power. The European Commission’s autumn forecast released Friday predicts falling economic output in both the last three months of this year and the first months of 2023. It says high energy prices, a rising cost of living, higher interest rates and overall uncertainty “are expected to tip the EU, the euro area and most member states into recession in the last quarter of the year.”