Berlin  - Industrial orders in the 16-member eurozone jumped more than forecast in June, figures released Monday showed, adding to optimism that the currency bloc is on the path to an economic recovery.

The European Union's (EU) statistics office Eurostat said factory orders in the 16 nations sharing the euro rose by a month-on-month 3.1 per cent in June after slipping by 0.5 per cent in May.

Analysts had expected industrial order books would grow by 1.6 per cent in June.

After the eurozone just missed out on emerging from recession during the second-quarter, Monday's data will bolster expectations that economic growth in the currency bloc will return to a growth track during the coming months.

The eurozone contracted by 0.1 per cent in the second quarter, data released this month showed.

But underscoring the depth of the slowdown that engulfed the European economy during the runup to the end of last year, industrial new orders plunged by 25.1 per cent year on year in June.

However, Monday's figures showed factory orders in the broader 27-member EU slipped by 0.4 per cent month on month in June, essentially cancelling out a 0.5 per cent rise in May. Year-on-year order books slumped by 24.0 per cent in the EU.

In particular, this followed steep annual falls in Lithuania, a drop of 41.3 per cent, Greece (down 36.2 per cent), Finland (a fall of 34.5 per cent), Slovenia (down 34.4 per cent) and Estonia (down 33.7 per cent).

Excluding orders for ships, railway and aerospace equipment, which Eurostat said tend to be more volatile, industrial new orders grew by 1.9 per cent month on month in the eurozone and by 1.1 per cent in the EU. (dpa)