Investment in Spain from overseas increased during 2010

 

Overseas investment in Spain improved during 2010, following a hard time with the by the global economic slowdown, with the Netherlands, France and Britain setting the pace, the government said on Monday. Overall the country attracted 23.4 billion euros in foreign direct investment last year, a 41.5% increase on 2009, the industry ministry said in a statement. The Netherlands, France and Britain accounted for 56% of all foreign investment in 2010, followed by Italy, Luxembourg and the USA. Foreign direct investment in Spain fell by 62% in 2009 compared to 2008, reaching 14.7 billion euros, as the global economy shrank for the first time since World War II. The increase in foreign direct investment is welcome news for Spain, which is struggling to boost growth and fend off market fears that it will need a bailout from the IMF and the European Union like Greece and Ireland. The country's economy contracted 0.1% in 2010 after falling 3.7% over 2009 in the wake of the collapse of a property market which had allowed economic growth to outpace the EU average for more than a decade. Disinvestment fell 7.6% in 2010 compared to 2009, causing net foreign investment to rise 53% to reach 20.5 billion euros, the industry ministry said.

The main industries attracting foreign investment in 2010 were transport and storage, and real estate, which each accounted for 17% of the total amount, followed by the manufacturing industry which got 14.8%.