Household Final Consumption in the EU: The key driver for a sustainable recovery?

After 4-5 years of poor performance, final consumption of households in the 28 EU member states is expected to recover significantly in 2015 and 2016. This is all the more important since final consumption of households has been the main driver of economic growth during the 12 years preceding the financial crisis. However, some obstacles are still in the way preventing a sustainable recovery in private consumption.