The EU’s average output inched up 0.4% on the month, the statistics office Eurostat said.
The biggest increases were registered in Malta (+5.4%), Ireland (+5%) and Lithuania (+2.5%), and the highest decreases in Croatia (-2.8%), Estonia (-2.2%) and Romania.
On the other hand, Romania posted the second-highest annual increase in industrial production among the EU members, the data showed. Adjusted industrial production rose 8.9% year-on-year in March, just shy of a 9% growth registered in Slovakia.
Netherlands recorded the largest decrease, of 8.9%, followed by Finland with 5.4% and Lithuania with 2.1%.
The EU average annual growth was 2.1%.