Manufacturers continue to target Europe despite the crisis. French business newspaper Les Echos says that the unfavourable economic climate is weighing heavily on the electronics market in some countries of Europe. There has been a sharp slump in Spain (down 20% in the first half of the year) and also, to a lesser extent (4%), in Italy. The Greek electronic market has halved over the past three years. Germany is doing well, with sales rising 8.6% in the first six months of the year. The crisis in Europe is affecting other big economies and contributed to the decline of Acer in 2011, formerly the top-selling PC seller in Europe, but now in second position. The impact on Japanese companies is even sharper because the euro is down against the yen, which rebounds on Japanese exports. US companies have also suffered because the dollar has risen a little against the euro. Europe remains, however, a key target for electronics companies. Market research group GfK says that in 2011, Europe was still the world's leading consumer electronics market, accounting for 28% of global sales, ahead of North America (21%) and China (12%). Europe mops up 25% of Apple's and Sony's sales, 36% of Hewlett Packard's sales (including services) and 40% of Acer's sales. High purchasing power and high-quality telecoms networks have given Europe a strong market for flat-screen televisions, mini-PCs, smartphones and tablets, making it a multi-equipment market, as opposed to the emerging economies' basic equipment market. (IL/transl.fl)