(ANSA) - TRIESTE - Europe is a continent largely united under the blue flag with twelve stars, though with strong differences, at least in terms of labor cost, according to Eurostat, which has drawn a diagram of the hourly labour cost in the European Union, based on general economic data, excluding agriculture and public administration.

On average, according to the EU statistical office, in 2012 the hourly labour cost was 24.2 euros, 29.3 in the Eurozone (in Italy 28 euros), but that figure ''hides significant differences among the Member States'', with Denmark leading with 40.1 euros and Bulgaria at the bottom of the ranking with just 3.4 euro per hour.

According to Eurostat, in 2012 the four countries with the lowest hourly labour cost in the EU were all located in the area of '' New Europe '': along withto Bulgaria, Romania (4.1 euro), Lithuania (5,9) and Latvia (6.0). Consideration must be given to Czech Republic (average hourly cost 10 euros), Estonia (8.6), Croatia (9.5), Hungary (7.4), Poland (7.9), Slovenia (15.6 ), Slovakia (9.0). At the top of the ranking, Germany (31.6) and Austria (30.5). (ANSA).