Euro zone not heading for recession, says EU's Barroso

LONDON (Reuters) - The euro zone is not heading for another recession, the outgoing president of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso said on Sunday.

Growth in the euro zone economy ground to a halt in the second quarter and weaker-than-expected economic data for the bloc's largest economy, Germany, have raised concerns about the prospects for a recovery.

"I don't think we are going to come back to recession," he told Britain's BBC television, citing forecasts from the International Monetary Fund and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

"Of course ... we should avoid any kind of complacency, we should now push for stricter reforms to make our economies more attractive."

Barroso is coming to the end of his term as president of the EU's executive arm after a 10-year stint which included a period of financial crisis and recession when investors fled the bloc over fears that some of its heavily indebted economies may have to leave the euro currency area.

(Reporting by William James)