BRUSSELS, June 22 (Reuters) - Euro zone consumer sentiment rose broadly in line with expectations in June to a three-and-a-half year high as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions steadily eased, figures from a survey released on Tuesday showed.

The European Commission said its flash estimate showed euro zone consumer morale improved to -3.3 points this month, the highest level since January 2018, from -5.1 in May. Economists polled by Reuters had expected an increase to -3.0.

For the European Union as a whole, consumer sentiment rose by 1.5 points to -4.5. The June EU figure was the highest level since October 2018.

For European Commission data click on: https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/indicators-statistics/economic-databases/business-and-consumer-surveys/latest-business-and-consumer-surveys_en#recent-press-releases (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions - https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html (Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop)