Managers at the Netherlands’ biggest companies are more optimistic about the future than their colleagues in the rest of Europe, according to the annual UPS European Business Monitor, reports the Financieele Dagblad website.

The paper says 56% of Dutch managers are confident about 2007. In France, only 35% are optimistic about this year’s prospects. Some 27% of Dutch managers said they expected to take on new staff this year. Germany, Italy and France were the least optimistic.