“During the first quarter of 2013, the Spanish economy continued its path of contraction, but at a slower pace compared to the end of last year,” the Bank of Spain said on Tuesday.
Earlier in April, Economy Minister Luis de Guindos said that the Spanish government was expecting a gross domestic product (GDP) of 0.5 to 0.6 percent in this year’s first quarter.
The economy minister also forecast that the country’s economy would shrink by between 1.0 and 1.5 percent this year. Last year, Spain’s economy contracted by 1.37 percent.
During the final quarter of last year, Spain’s economy shrank by 0.8 percent.
Battered by the global financial downturn, the Spanish economy collapsed into recession in the second half of 2008, taking millions of jobs with it.
The Spanish government has also been sharply criticized over the austerity policies that are hitting the middle and working classes the hardest.
SZH/HN
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