The European Union's executive body raised its economic growth forecast, saying Europe had dodged a winter recession that was feared amid an energy crisis but warning that stubbornly high inflation is likely to keep hurting the economy by sapping people's ability to spend.
The outlook for the 20 countries using the euro currency improved to growth of 1.1% this year from 0.9% in the previous predictions in February, the European Commission said in its spring forecast Monday.
