GDP increased by 0.4% in the euro area 1  (EA16) and by 0.3% in the EU27 1 during the third quarter of 2009, compared with the previous quarter, according to first estimates released by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities . In the second quarter of 2009, growth rates were -0.2% in the euro area and -0.3% in the EU27. [more]