Falling energy prices caused inflation in Germany to grind to a halt this month for the first time since September 2015, a preliminary flash estimate showed on Friday.

Germany's national inflation yardstick, the consumer price index, stood at zero percent in February, compared with 0.5 percent in January, the federal statistics office Destatis said.

And using the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) -- the barometer used by the European Central Bank -- the inflation rate stood at minus 0.2 percent in February, compared with plus 0.4 percent in January.