Westward: Europe seeks Indian money
Thanks to India’s new image as aggressive investor. It now receives special call from Germany & France.
Horst Dietz & Philippe Favre
The EU is making new headway in being a prime business destination for foreign investors. Europe, the world’s leading market, saw its market grow to over $14 trillion in 2006, putting it in front of the US and well ahead of China and India.
Europe’s magnetism when it comes to FDI is strengthened by its open borders, common euro and modern high-speed railways and highways, all of which facilitate the flow of doing business among the EU countries.
Invest In France and Invest In Germany, the agencies in the respective countries mandated to attract investment, have aligned to promote business opportunities available in Europe, with a focus on attracting new foreign investors and a wider international talent pool.
Based on joint research efforts conducted over the past year, the agencies are launching an analytical tool entitled the European Attractiveness Scoreboard (EAS). The first initiative of its kind, EAS benchmarks the EU as a whole against other leading world economies and offers a transparent, top-down perspective designed to help foreign enterprises improve their investment decisions.
We will tour China, Japan and India to meet with opinion leaders in an open discussion about the benefits of doing business in the EU, using the scoreboard to showcase Europe’s strengths and efficiencies in the domains of market and business vitality, HR, research and innovation, infrastructure, administrative environment, costs and taxation, energy and sustainable development and technology.
On a global scale, the EU stands out in a number of categories. The scoreboard lists Europe as a powerful player in innovation, ranking it a global leader in scientific production and a top contender in world patents. Europe is at the head of the telecom industry. It has the largest market and the highest number of mobile subscribers in the world and is well positioned for new forms of e-commerce.
The EU is equally recognised for its competitive high-tech trade, which is more diversified than trade in the US thanks to its broad range of industrial clusters. A high rate of job creation, related to foreign investment projects, is another point that demonstrates EU’s attractiveness.
Because of these advantages many international corporations from the US and Asia, as well as from many emerging economies, are investing in the European market. The EU is attracting foreign firms with its reputation for generating high-quality products and services and it will continue on this path to offer investors a unique added-value advantage.
The EU is making new headway in being a prime business destination for foreign investors. Europe, the world’s leading market, saw its market grow to over $14 trillion in 2006, putting it in front of the US and well ahead of China and India.
Europe’s magnetism when it comes to FDI is strengthened by its open borders, common euro and modern high-speed railways and highways, all of which facilitate the flow of doing business among the EU countries.
Invest In France and Invest In Germany, the agencies in the respective countries mandated to attract investment, have aligned to promote business opportunities available in Europe, with a focus on attracting new foreign investors and a wider international talent pool.
Based on joint research efforts conducted over the past year, the agencies are launching an analytical tool entitled the European Attractiveness Scoreboard (EAS). The first initiative of its kind, EAS benchmarks the EU as a whole against other leading world economies and offers a transparent, top-down perspective designed to help foreign enterprises improve their investment decisions.
We will tour China, Japan and India to meet with opinion leaders in an open discussion about the benefits of doing business in the EU, using the scoreboard to showcase Europe’s strengths and efficiencies in the domains of market and business vitality, HR, research and innovation, infrastructure, administrative environment, costs and taxation, energy and sustainable development and technology.
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On a global scale, the EU stands out in a number of categories. The scoreboard lists Europe as a powerful player in innovation, ranking it a global leader in scientific production and a top contender in world patents. Europe is at the head of the telecom industry. It has the largest market and the highest number of mobile subscribers in the world and is well positioned for new forms of e-commerce.
The EU is equally recognised for its competitive high-tech trade, which is more diversified than trade in the US thanks to its broad range of industrial clusters. A high rate of job creation, related to foreign investment projects, is another point that demonstrates EU’s attractiveness.
Because of these advantages many international corporations from the US and Asia, as well as from many emerging economies, are investing in the European market. The EU is attracting foreign firms with its reputation for generating high-quality products and services and it will continue on this path to offer investors a unique added-value advantage.
Solid financial institutions, a strong currency—euro is a key worldwide currency and represents one quarter of central bank reserves according to IMF—and a highly skilled workforce, which includes some of the world’s most talented scientists, researchers and technology experts, are also drawing investors to Europe.
In addition to being an attractive place to do business and having overcome its historical differences, the EU today—and notably the relationship formed between France and Germany—can serve as a role model to other nations.
Europe is a proven example that it is possible to integrate nations peacefully and, more importantly, that it can lead to a positive economy and political stability. With a unified strategy in place, the door to the EU is wide open and ready to welcome new foreign investors into a sophisticated and diverse business environment set for long-term success.
(The authors are MD of Invest in Germany and chairman of Invest in France, respectively.)
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