(Adds details on succession and rate of increases, Czech selling prices, analysts, Romania in paragraphs 2-3, 9-10, 13-14)

April 2 (Reuters) - Manufacturing downturns in the Czech Republic and Poland eased in March, with the Czech decline the slowest since August 2022, sector surveys showed on Tuesday. In Hungary, surveys continued to point to expansion.

S&P Global's Polish manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) inched up to 48.0 in February from 47.9 in February, increasing a second straight month but remaining below the 50 line that separates growth from contraction for the 23rd month in a row.

The S&P Global PMI reading for the Czech Republic rose to 46.2 in March from 44.3 in the previous month but remained below the breakeven mark it has been under for nearly two years. The rise on the month, though, was the biggest since late 2021.

After sputtering in the past year under the weight of high inflation, central Europe's economies are counting on a revival in consumer demand this year to drive recovery, compensating for manufacturers still facing a dearth of orders and weakness in their main trading partners, notably Germany.

"Poland's manufacturers are being stifled by weak eurozone demand, particularly from Germany and France," Trevor Balchin, economics director at S&P Global Market Intelligence, said.

"Output, new orders and exports continued their record-long downturns, with the rates of decline showing little sign of easing."

Sector-wide subdued demand led to another decline in backlogs of work, with goods makers reporting a fall in unfinished business during each month since June 2022.

Czech firms also continued to see weak demand, although the PMI survey showed new orders slowed at the softest pace since June 2022.

Selling prices fell in the survey as companies sought to stay competitive and not discourage clients. The survey showed, though, that companies remained upbeat in their outlook, which analysts said was still a main recovery driver.

"Overall, I think that the PMI indicator could attack the 50-level no later than the summer months, which from the view of PMI would mean a return to growth in activity," Radomir Jac, chief economist at Generali Investments CEE, said.

In Hungary, some optimism was more visible with PMI released by the Association of Logistics, Purchasing and Inventory Management (MLBKT) coming in at 52.3 in March, unchanged from a revised February reading.

Production volumes showed expansion, according to the Hungarian survey.

David Nemeth, a K&H analyst, said the PMI might "signal a slight growth in Hungarian industry in two to three months" with new orders rising.

Romania's PMI, published by BCR Bank, the Romanian unit of Austria's Erste Group Bank, also rose last month, nearing the neutral 50 mark as new orders helped drive a rebound.

(Reporting by Jason Hovet in Prague, Karol Badohal and Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk in Warsaw, Luiza Ilie in Bucharest, and Anita Komuves in Budapest; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)