The median respondent in the ECB's Consumer Expectations Survey expected prices to grow by 2.6% over the following 12 months in November, from 2.5% in October - marking the second increase in a row. The expectation for three years ahead was raised to 2.4% - the highest level since July - from 2.1%.

Euro-area inflation accelerated last month, supporting the European Central Bank’s gradual approach to reducing interest rates, without derailing them altogether.

The pace of price rises in the euro zone's largest economy, Germany, hit a higher-than-expected 2.9% in December, according to figures published separately this week. Inflation in France meanwhile came in at 1.8% last month, below a Reuters analyst poll forecasting a 1.9% print.

Euro zone inflation accelerated in December, an unwelcome but anticipated blip that is unlikely to derail further interest rate cuts from the European Central Bank.

German annual inflation rose more than forecast in December due to higher food prices and a smaller drop in energy prices than in previous months, preliminary data from the federal statistics office showed on Monday.