The recession appears to have come to an end in the 16 European nations that use the euro currency exclusively.

The European Union reported Friday third quarter growth of four tenths of one percent collectively in the economies of Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Finland, Italy, Cyprus Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia.

That compared with a second quarter decline of 0.2 percent for those 16 nations.

The third quarter in the U.S. grew at a 3.5 percent rate after several quarters of decline. So with a few exceptions, the world appears to be collectively shaking of the effects of the global economic downturn.