The Netherlands reports strong foreign investment activity for 2009

United States Represents Nearly 30 Percent of Worldwide Projects

New York, NY – March 16, 2010 – The Netherlands, one of the world’s largest foreign direct investment (FDI) recipients in 2009, posted strong results for a year marked by slow recovery from a global economic recession. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) supported the attraction of 155 foreign investment projects, representing 3,887 jobs and planned investment of $4.27 billion. (This exceptionally high investment figure is due to two extremely capital-intensive projects in the energy sector.)

Although more than half (82) of the projects came from Asia, the United States continued to be the leading single-country investor with 49 projects, of which 23 were initial establishments by companies in the Netherlands. Adding in projects from Canada and Mexico, North America as a region totaled 52 projects and 1,166 jobs.

“The idea that foreign companies are good for economic dynamics and competitiveness of the Netherlands, is the guiding principle for the work of the NFIA,” according to NFIA Commissioner Bas Pulles. “Our statistics show that a number of industries seemed less prone to be hit by the economic crisis, such as the food industry, the healthcare industry and energy- and sustainability-related sectors.” Another important trend cited by Pulles is that the average value of projects (as measured by investment amount and number of jobs) is on the rise again, reversing a four-year downward course.

The greatest percentage of worldwide projects (31%) was related to marketing and sales. Another meaningful tendency showed the share of research and development projects (10%) increasing over the previous year. The top five industry sectors that delivered the most projects for 2009 were information technology (25), electronic components (10), life sciences/healthcare (9), chemicals (8), and food and nutrition (8).

The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (www.nfia.com) facilitates direct investments of foreign companies in the Netherlands through its network of 19 offices in the United States, China, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, India, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and the United Kingdom. In its 30 years, the NFIA has helped more than 2,500 foreign companies from 40 countries initiate or expand operations in the Netherlands.

The NFIA is an operational unit of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. As a government agency, the NFIA provides information and practical assistance free of charge. All its services are provided on a confidential basis. These include providing insight and data with regard to site selection and logistics strategies; intensive, personal guidance on such matters as available incentives, permit procedures and tax structures.

The NFIA has U.S. offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York City and San Francisco. The Utrecht Foreign Investment Agency www.investinutrecht.com is allied with the NFIA.