Brussels, 24/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - According to Eurostat figures on Monday 24 November, in September 2008 compared with August 2008, the euro area industrial new orders index fell by 3.9%. In August the index decreased by 1.5. In the EU27, new orders declined by 4.6% in September 2008, after dropping by 1.7% in August. Excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment, industrial new orders decreased by 2.2% in the euro area and by 2.7% in the EU27. In September 2008 compared with September 2007, industrial new orders fell by 1.1% in the euro area and by 0.9% in the EU27. Total industry, excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment, dropped by 0.7% and 0.2% respectively.
In monthly terms, total manufacturing working on orders rose in eight member states, fell in ten and remained stable in the Czech Republic. The highest increases were recorded in Latvia (+13.9%), Bulgaria (+12.5%) and Romania (+8.2%), and the largest decreases in Germany (-9.4%), Portugal (-4.9%) and Lithuania (-4.2%). In annual terms, total manufacturing working on orders rose in nine member states and fell in ten. The highest increases were registered in Latvia (+48.1%), Romania (+43.1%) and Lithuania (+18.3%), and the most significant falls in Spain (-9.1%), Sweden (-9.0%) and France (-4.9%). (A.B./trans/rh)