A survey shows economic sentiment in the European Union improved in March, due mainly to industrial juggernaut Germany, after a pause in February.

The indicator rose by 2 points on the month to 99.6. It stood at 71.1 only last April. The Economic Sentiment Indicator "is now close to its long-term average," the EU Commission said in a statement Monday, adding it will need to improve further to reach its pre-crisis level.

At the same time, the business climate indicator for the 16-nation euro area also improved further, continuing one year of recovery. It stood at -0.32 points, better than the -3.48 points it stood at one year ago.