Eurozone Q2 GDP down 11.8 pct, employment rate falls 2.9 pct: Eurostat

A staff member of a waffle shop waits for customers in Brussels, Belgium, Sept. 7, 2020. Gross domestic product (GDP) in the eurozone shrank by 11.8 percent while the employment rate decreased by 2.9 percent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to the previous quarter, Eurostat said on Tuesday. The EU's statistical office estimated that in the whole of the European Union (EU), GDP decreased by 11.4 percent and the employment rate dropped by 2.7 percent in the second quarter, when strict COVID-19 containment measures were still in place in many EU countries. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)