Just when it seemed that the economic data from the European Union could not get worse, new service sector purchasing managers index (PMI) information from Markit shows that the collapse in most countries in the region has accelerated. Even Germany did not dodge the fallout.

The data will open the debate, which now occurs daily, about whether austerity actually closes national deficits or widens them as lack of stimulus pushes gross domestic products into negative territory.

Recall, a PMI measurement of less than 50 signals contraction.

According to Markit:

At 46.5 in March, the final Markit Eurozone PMI Composite Output Index was unchanged on the flash reading, confirming that the rate of decline in activity accelerated for the second month in a row to reach the fastest since last November.

The PMI shows that output has fallen in each of the past 19 months with the sole exception of a marginal increase at the start of…