The European Union's statistics office said eurozone output fell 0.3pc in March compared to February. It dropped 2.2pc year-on-year - the steepest fall since December 2009. The figures took analysts by surprise, they were expecting a 0.4pc rise for the month to March a just 1.2pc fall on the year. The main cause for the drop was a 8.5pc fall in energy production. In the Netherlands, industrial production fell 9pc in March, compared to an 11pc rise in February. It fell 1.8pc in Spain in March, and 0.9pc in France. In Germany, the output grew by 1.3pc over the same period. Economists are expecting tomorrow's GDP figures to show a decline of around 0.2pc which is likely to add to concerns about the impact of the tough austerity measures on business activity, growth and confidence. Spain has recently released a raft of economic data that point strongly to a return to recession. Italy is expected to confirm another quarter of GDP decline today - its third quarter in a row.