ROME, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Italy's consumer prices rose by 1.7 percent year-on-year in February, driven mainly by energy costs, according to preliminary data released on Friday by the national statistics institute, ISTAT.
The data showed that consumer prices increased by 0.2 percent compared to the previous month. A key factor behind the rise was regulated energy goods, which surged by 31.5 percent year-on-year. Prices for processed and unprocessed foods, which are linked to energy costs, also rose in February, ISTAT reported.
