24/05/2006 (Agence Europe) - The Euro area industrial new orders index2 fell by 2.4% in March 2006 compared to February 2006. The index increased by 3.4% in February3 and decreased by 6.0% in January. EU25 new orders dropped by 1.7% in March. In March 2006 compared to March 2005, industrial new orders increased by 12.1% in the Euro area and by 11.1% in the EU25. The highest increases were recorded in Latvia (+56.1%), Poland (+20.5%), Hungary (+10.7%) and Malta (+10.6%). The largest decreases were registered in Italy (-6.1%), Belgium (-2.6%), Ireland (-2.1%) and France (-2.0%). In March 2006 compared to February 2006, basic metals and fabricated metal products decreased by 3.1% in the Euro area and by 1.8% in the EU25. Manufacturing of textiles and textile products fell by 1.2% and 0.4% respectively. Chemicals and chemical products dropped by 0.9% in the Euro area and by 0.8% in the EU25. In the EU25, electrical and electronical equipment declined by 4.9% and transport equipment by 0.1%, while machinery and equipment remained stable. Annually, total manufacturing working on orders rose in fourteen Member States. The highest increases were registered in Latvia (+134.8%), Hungary (+38.0%), Slovakia (+26.7%), the Czech Republic (+26.5%) and Lithuania (+23.2%). The only decreases were recorded in Portugal (-6.8%) and Malta (-0.3%). In March 2006 compared to March 2005, basic metals and fabricated metal products grew by 17.2% in the Euro area and by 16.9% in the EU25.