Euro zone annual inflation rose to 3.1% in November - the highest since 2001. That was higher than the European Union's statistics agency Eurostat's earlier estimate.
This week a member of the European Central Bank's governing council said the ECB is "seriously concerned" about inflation. Euro group president Jean-Claude Juncker said recently that members of the single European currency cannot ignore the rising risk posed by inflation.
At the same time the US government reported consumer prices there climbed at an annual rate of 4.3% in November, its fastest pace in more than two years.
The figures showed that as well as fuel and heating oil reaching new records, there were higher prices for basic foods such as milk, cheese and eggs. Overall food rose 5.8% during the past year. The price of butter was up 46% and dairy products by 17%.
Average inflation for the 27 countries of the European Union was also 3.1%
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