BRUSSELS ~ More than half of European households have access to the internet, the European Commission has said.

According to figures from the European Union’s Eurostat data agency, 52 percent of households could log onto the internet in the first quarter of this year, compared with 48 percent for the same period of 2005.

About 32 percent had a broadband connection, which allows fast access, compared with 23 percent last year.

But internet penetration rates vary widely – from 80 percent in the Netherlands and 79 percent in Denmark to 23 percent in Greece and 27 percent in Slovakia.

Eurostat’s data showed that 47 percent of Europeans used the internet at least once a week.

Internet use was much higher among youths, with 73 percent of those between 16 and 24 years old surfing the web at least once a week.

Men used the internet more than women, with 51 percent using it once a week compared with 43 percent for women.

The data showed that 94 percent of EU companies had internet access in the first quarter of the year and that 75 percent of them had broadband access.