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Euro zone growth slows after spurt

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Euro zone first quarter growth was up by 3.1 percent, slightly slower after a record spurt at the end of 2006, Eurostat, EU's statistical agency, said Tuesday.

The euro-area economy expanded by 3.1 percent in the first quarter, slowing slightly after a record growth spurt at the end of last year, the EU statistical agency Eurostat said Tuesday.

The 13-nation euro zone grew 3.3 percent in the last three months of 2006, its fastest rate since 2000, as Europeans started spending again after several years of little economic growth.

Quarter-on-quarter, the euro-zone economy expanded 0.6 percent in the three months ending March 31, Eurostat said in a first estimate that must be confirmed when it has more information on all euro nations.