Manufacturing in the eurozone has not shown much sign of improvement, leaving the hoped-for recovery in a fragile state.
A survey showed that growth slowed down in May, slipping back to the same level as November 2013.
Sluggish manufacturing performance hit both Germany and France
Factory activity also slowed in Italy, the Netherlands, Austria and Greece.
There were some highlights, however, as both Ireland and Spain pushed ahead. Spain, in particular, showed activity expanding at its highest rate in seven years.
But the overall lacklustre performance has added to the uncertainty of meaningful recovery in the eurozone.
Without growth in manufacturing activity, it is that much harder to tackle the dire unemployment statistics.
Employment in the manufacturing sector rose slightly in June for the bloc as a whole, according to Markit, which conducted the research. However, French factories reported job cuts for the third successive month.
