(ANSA) - TRIESTE - The newest EU Member, Croatia, registered a more significant growth of overall exports than any other EU28 coutnry (+10%) in the period January to April 2014, compared to the same period in 2013, according to the data released by Eurostat. According to the EU's statistical office latest data, the countries of the New Europe area on the whole grew their export more significantly than the "old" EU Members. For the same period of reference, overall exports of the Czech Republic grew by 9%, followed by Romania (+8%), Poland (+7%), Slovenia (+5%), Slovacchia (+4%), Hungary (+3%), and Latvia (+1%). Outside the New Europe area, the biggest growth was registered in Luxembourg (8%), followed by Denmark, Germany, Italy and Austria who increased their exports by 2% compared to January-April 2013. On the other hand, New Europe countries that registered decrease of exports were Bulgaria, Greece and Lithuania (-8%), followed by Estonia (-7%), while the most significant drop of export on EU28 level was registered in Malta (-24%), and Cyprus (-12%), followed by the United Kingdom (-7%), and Finland (-5%). In terms of import, the growth for January-April 2014 compared to the same period in 2013 was strongest in Romania (+8%), followed by Poland and Slovakia (+5%), Hungary (+4%), Croatia (+3%). In Bulgaria, import rates for 2014 were the same as the last year. Amongst the EU28, the biggest import decrease was registered again in Malta (-17%), while in the New Europe area it was Lithuania (-7%), followed by Estonia (-4%), and Greece (-1%). The overall exports of EU28, dropped by 4% compared to January-April 2013, while the imports dropped by 2% according to Eurostat. The EU's statistical office took into account the main export/import products (primary goods: food and drink, raw materials, energy, and manifactured goods: chemicals, machinery and vehicles, and "other goods"). (ANSA).