The eurozone will grow less than expected this year, the European Commission said on Thursday, as energy prices and supply chain problems jack up inflation and delay a more sustained recovery from the worst of the pandemic. 

The EU executive said GDP in the single currency bloc would grow by 4.0 percent this year, instead of the 4.3 forecast only three months ago. Inflation would increase to a much stronger than expected 3.5 percent in 2022.