The Netherlands is the biggest net beneficiary of non-EU foreign investment of all 27 European Union countries, the European statistics office Eurostat said on Thursday.

The Netherlands received €9bn more in foreign investment than it put into investing outside Europe, Eurostat said.
In total, the 27 countries invested €354bn abroad last year, a 30% decline on 2007. Foreign investments in the European Union fell by almost 60% to €173bn.
Meanwhile, the American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands (Amcham) has published a list of three broad policy areas where it says the government can act to boost foreign investment.
Amcham says the government must take steps to stimulate labour flexibility by making it easier and simpler to dismiss staff and by ‘unlocking the potential of the senior workforce’.
More effort must be put into translating technology into stronger economic performance, in particular to reduce congestion and boost mobility.
And the government should continue to make the tax system simpler and more competitive. This could include giving the ‘red carpet’ treatment to new foreign investors, such as by introducing a one-stop shop, Amcham said.
To read finance minister Wouter Bos’ speech at the Amcham meeting, click here