File photo: CGTN

The European Commission said Wednesday the eurozone economy would contract by a staggering 7.7 percent in 2020, as the catastrophic consequences of the coronavirus outbreak sweep through the continent.

Calling it a "recession of historic proportions", the EU's executive said the 19-member single currency zone would then rebound by 6.3 percent in 2021, in an uncertain recovery that would be felt unevenly across the continent.