3.1 EUROPEAN HEAT PUMP PRESS REVIEW

France’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose 1.8% in 2017, and this increase was significantly higher than initial forecasts of growth of around 1.2%. In 2017, the building sector experienced a turnaround, and the number of new homes and apartments built was the highest since 2011. A total of 418,900 new houses and apartments were built in 2017, demonstrating 15.7% year-on-year growth. The number of new apartments built in 2017 rose 17.3%, and the number of new single-family homes increased 13.4%.