ISTANBUL: House prices in the EU rose 2.9% on an annual basis in the second quarter of the year, the bloc's statistical bureau Eurostat said Thursday. The highest annual house price hikes were seen in Poland (up 17.7%), Bulgaria (up 15.1%), Lithuania (up 10.4%), and Croatia (up 10.0%), while the largest annual declines in house prices were in Luxembourg (down 8.3%), Finland (down 4.8%), and France (down 4.6%). On a quarterly basis, house prices climbed 1.9% and rents 0.7% in the second quarter of 2024 in the EU. While house prices remained stable in Hungary quarter-on-quarter, some 23 member states saw increases, the highest being in Croatia with 4.3%, followed by Portugal with 3.9%, and Spain with 3.6%, while the only price decreases were seen in France and Belgium, both down 0.2% in the same period. Meanwhile, house prices in the eurozone soared 1.3% year-on-year in the second quarter of the year, and 1.8% on a quarterly basis. The eurozone/euro area, or EA19, represents member states that use the bloc 's single currency, the euro, while the EU27 includes all member countries. Source: Anadolu Agency