New industrial orders in the euro zone were weaker than expected in April, easing 0.2% over one month and rising 4.4% over one year, according to the latest figures from the EU's Eurostat data agency.
The numbers fell short of economists' expectations for new orders to rise 2% over one month and jump 11.7% over one year.
Eurostat also revised its earlier March estimates to a fall of 1.6% over one month from a 2.4% decrease and to a decline of 13.1% over one year from a drop of 12.1%.
New orders in the 25-nation European Union rose 0.4% in May over one month and 4.1% over one year.
Economists said that the decline in euro zone new orders was due mainly to a notoriously volatile transportation equipment sector and that economic growth was still on track.
