Brussels, 26/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - Following recovery in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Mediterranean region in 2010, intentions to invest in the region slowed in the first quarter of 2011, the Mediterranean Investment and Partnership Observatory (ANIMA-MIPO) reports. “The effects of democratic upheavals and of current transitions are noticeable on the trend of FDI and partnerships set up in the south of the Mediterranean Region in the first quarter of 2011”, after the relative upturn in 2010. The Observatory said that the number of FDI projects announced in the Mediterranean countries had fallen by 13% compared with the 2010 rate. Only 184 projects have been identified in the first quarter of this year, against 845 in total in 2010.
The amounts invested are, paradoxically, on the rise: €10 billion, compared with €6.8 billion for the same quarter in 2010 (and €33.7 billion for the whole of 2010). This increase is, however, almost exclusively attributable to Turkey and Israel, which attracted 9 out of the 10 biggest announcements, in net amounts. “The fall in the number of announced projects is substantial in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, Jordan, which went back to a level corresponding to the first quarter 2009, at the beginning of the global economic crisis. Algeria and Lebanon remain stable, while activities pick up again in Morocco, and even more in Turkey and Israel, who are still widening the gap with the other countries in the region.” The Observatory reports that business partnerships have also fallen back sharply. (F.B./transl.rt)