United Kingdom most attractive investment destination. According to the annual Ernst & Young attractiveness survey for 2011, the UK remained the most attractive country in Europe for investment with 679 projects, despite a 7% fall. Germany follows, with 597 projects and knocks France from its place in second position (540 projects). Projects in France fell by -4%, whilst those in Germany leapt by +7%. Spain follows next, (273 projects), followed by the Netherlands (170 projects), Belgium (153 projects), Russia (128 projects), Poland (121 projects), Ireland (106 projects) and Switzerland (99 projects). Overall, Germany has continued to make ground with the number of projects having doubled over the past five years. France, however, is in first place with industrial start-ups (170 manufacturing projects in 2011) as opposed to 121 in Germany and 92 in the United Kingdom. On the other side of the European mainland (including Russia and Turkey) progress continued with +4% (3,906 projects). Experts have pointed out that, overall, there has been a general tightening up in the number of start-up projects throughout northern and central Europe, stretching from Ireland to Russia, via the United Kingdom, Benelux countries, Germany and Poland. France and Spain are still included in this group of countries but within it they are the only countries that, given the crisis and its repercussions, have become less attractive than in the past, explains the survey. The survey is based on the analysis of foreign direct investment flows in Europe and France and interviews with 205 business leaders in 26 different countries. (IL/transl.fl)