Investing.com - Euro zone consumer prices rose at a slower-than-expected pace in December, according to a flash estimate released on Friday.
The bloc’s statistics agency Eurostat said its consumer price index rose 1.6% in December from the same month a year earlier.
Economists had expected annual inflation to decrease by 1.8%.
Core inflation, which excludes energy, food, alcohol and tobacco prices, was unchanged at 1.0%.
The European Central Bank targets a headline inflation rate of close to, but just below 2%. The numbers came just after ECB policymaker Benoit Coeure said that interest rates in the EU are likely to remain at low levels until the target 2% is reached.
"The interest rates we set for the euro zone economy will stay at the current level... until at least after the summer of 2019 and as long as necessary," Coeure said Friday on France Inter radio.
-Reuters contributed to this report.