Brussels, 24/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - In August 2008, the euro area industrial new orders index fell by 1.2% in comparison with the preceding month, when it increased by 2.0%, figures released by Eurostat on Thursday 23 October reveal. In the EU27, new orders decreased by 1.4% in August 2008, after growing by 2.9% in July. Excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment, industrial new orders increased by 0.6% in the euro area and by 2.0% in the EU27. Compared with August 2007, industrial new orders in August 2008 declined by 6.6% in the euro area and by 6.7% in the EU27. Total industry new orders, excluding ships, railway and aerospace equipment, dropped by 7.5% in both zones.
In August 2008 compared with July 2008, total manufacturing industry working on orders rose in five member states and fell in fourteen. The highest increases were recorded in Ireland (7.2%), Latvia (6.7%) and Germany (3.3%), and the largest decreases in Bulgaria (11.0%), Greece (10.0%), Estonia (7.4%) and France (7.2%).
In August 2008 compared with August 2007, total manufacturing industry working on orders rose in four member states and fell in fifteen. The highest increases were registered in Latvia (29.1%) and Romania (16.1%), and the most significant falls in Sweden (14.8%), France (14.4%), Spain (12.3%) and Denmark (11.6%). (A.B./transl.rt)