Brussels, April 24 (Bloomberg) -- The European Commission will cut its forecastfor economic growth in Europe tomorrow, though the increased pessimism isunlikely to prompt the European Central Bank to reduce interest rates, analystssaid. The commission will predict growth in the 12 euro countries somewhere between2.5 percent and 3 percent in 2001, scaling back an estimate of 3.2 percent madein November, Monetary Commissioner Pedro Solbes said Saturday. ECB President Wim Duisenberg suggested the new forecast will be 2.7 percent,saying Saturday he ``wouldn't take issue'' with that number. The ``slight''downgrade shows the European economy is holding up in the face of the U.S.slowdown, he said. ``Given what the ECB has said in the past, it will be hard for them to cut ratesbefore July,'' said Guy Verberne, the head of international economics at FortisBank NV. ``They will only cut it if we see a real deterioration in key economicfigures, if growth falls below a sustainable level.'' Exports to the U.S. rose to 14.9 billion euros ($13.3 billion) in January, EuropeanUnion statistics showed today. The increase of 35 percent from the same monthlast year indicated that demand from the U.S. isn't as weak as feared. A separate report of a larger-than-expected increase in French consumerspending in March gave the central bank an additional reason to leave its maininterest rate at 4.75 percent on Thursday, analysts said. As the world's only major central bank not to cut rates this year, the ECB hasdrawn criticism from some European governments and the U.S. Four cuts byFederal Reserve have taken the main U.S. rate to 4.5 percent, below the ECB'sbenchmark rate for the first time since the euro was introduced in January 1999. Stumbling growth in Germany, the largest European economy, is dragging downthe euro-zone average, analysts said. Business confidence fell to a 20-month lowin March, a survey showed Monday, and unemployment has risen for threemonths. A 2.7 percent expansion would exceed the ``potential'' growth rate of 2 to 2.5percent estimated by economists and the ECB. It would match an April 10forecast by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.