The eurozone economy last quarter defied trade conflicts, a slowdown in China and uncertainty over Brexit to register its best growth since early last year, according to official statistics released Tuesday.

Only a few months ago it looked as if Europe could slide into recession. But the 19 countries that belong to the eurozone monetary union grew 0.4 percent in the first three months of 2019 compared with the last three months of 2018, the European Union statistics agency estimated. That was the best growth since the second quarter of last year.

Italy emerged from a half-year recession with growth of 0.2 percent over the previous quarter, easing anxiety that the highly indebted country could spark a new financial crisis.

While economists warned that the overall growth rate might not last, the resilience of the eurozone economy was remarkable considering all of the forces conspiring to undermine it.