In May 2009 compared with April 2009, the euro area (EA16) industrial new orders index fell by 0.2%. In April the index decreased by 0.7%. In the EU27 new orders rose by 0.9% in May 2009, after dropping by 1.7% in April. Excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment, for which changes tend to be more volatile, industrial new orders decreased by 0.3% in the euro area, but grew by 0.4% in the EU27.

In May 2009 compared with May 2008, industrial new orders decreased by 30.1% in the euro area and by 28.0% in the EU27. Total industry excluding ships, railway & aerospace equipment dropped by 30.2% in the euro area and by 29.0% in the EU27.

Monthly changes

In May 2009 compared with April 2009, new orders for capital goods grew by 0.4% in the euro area and by 1.1% in the EU27. Non-durable consumer goods dropped by 0.6% in the euro area, but increased by 1.0% in the EU27. Intermediate goods declined by 0.7% in the euro area, but rose by 0.3% in the EU27. Durable consumer goods fell by 1.5% and 0.5% respectively.

Among the Member States for which data are available, total manufacturing working on orders rose in eight and fell in thirteen. The highest increases were registered in the Netherlands (+9.7%), Portugal (+7.5%) and Germany (+4.2%), and the largest decreases in Ireland (-13.2%), Hungary (-7.6%) and Latvia (-7.5%).

Annual changes

In May 2009 compared with May 2008, new orders for non-durable consumer goods fell by 6.7% in the euro area and by 5.0% in the EU27. Durable consumer goods declined by 21.5% and 17.5% respectively. Capital goods dropped by 32.3% in the euro area and by 29.2% in the EU27. Intermediate goods decreased by 34.1% and 33.1% respectively.

Total manufacturing working on orders fell in all the Member States for which data are available. The largest falls were registered in Estonia (-39.8%), Finland (-39.6%) and Lithuania (-38.5%), and the smallest in Ireland (-9.3%), the United Kingdom (-11.3%) and Poland (-15.4%).