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The case for investing in Europe remains as compelling as ever

Tuesday, June 7, 2016
All Committees

Brussels, 7 June 2016The Case for Investing in Europe 2016 report, commissioned by the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union (AmCham EU) and written by Joseph Quinlan, Senior Fellow, Center for Transatlantic Relations at Johns Hopkins University, shows that despite the rise and strength of other economic powers, Europe is still the world’s largest economy and continues to offer tremendous investment opportunities for American business. 

Europe continues to attract more than half of U.S. aggregate foreign direct investment (FDI) outflows and the region’s share of U.S. FDI has averaged nearly 60% of the total this decade. After some very difficult years economic growth is on the rebound and the EU can expect between 1.5 and 2% growth this year – the strongest growth in years.

‘It’s heartening, when reading the report, to see such positive facts and figures. European economies remain among the most competitive in the world with, for example, six European countries ranked among the top ten according to the latest rankings of global competitiveness from the World Economic Forum,’ stated Susan Danger, Managing Director, AmCham EU.

The report emphasises the strength of consumers in developing Europe, who easily outspend consumers in India. Further, the ‘ease of doing business’ is another reason why U.S. firms remain invested in Europe, presenting data from the World Bank that showed that 14 of the top 25 countries for ease of doing business are located in Europe – the U.S. ranked number seven.

A number of AmCham EU member companies contributed case studies to the report, which detail their commitment to Europe. These are: 3M, Ecolab, ExxonMobil, IBM, Oracle and P&G. They cite a strong and stable EU, with open borders, free and fair trade, and a secure investment climate, as among the main reasons why their companies continue to invest in Europe with confidence and deliver the jobs and growth that the region needs.

Read The Case for Investing in Europe 2016 here.