EU's FDI stocks up by 40% between 2009 and 2012. - At the end of 2012, the European Union held foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks of €5,207 billion in the rest of the world, while stocks held by the rest of the world in the EU27 amounted to €3,947 billion, according to the latest report from the statistical office of the EU, Eurostat. The EU27 therefore continues to be a net investor in the rest of the world. Both stocks held by the EU27 and those held by the rest of the world in the EU27 have risen steadily between 2009 and 2012, increasing by about 40%. Data on FDI stocks help to quantify the impact of globalisation and provide measure the longstanding economic links between countries. The stocks measure the accumulated value of all FDI carried out in the past. The main partners of the EU27 for FDI stocks held in the rest of the world were the US (€1,655 billion or 32% of total stocks held by the EU27 in the rest of the world), Switzerland (€679 billion or 13%), Canada (€258 billion or 5%), Brazil (€247 billion or 5%), Russia (€189 billion or 4%), Australia (€142 billion or 3%), Hong Kong (€133 billion or 3%), Singapore (€119 billion or 2%) and China (€118 billion or 2%). The leading partners for FDI stocks held by the rest of the world in the EU27 were similar - the US (€1,536 billion or 39% of total stocks held by the rest of the world in the EU27), Switzerland (€505 billion or 13%), Japan (€162 billion or 4%), Canada (€143 billion or 4%), Brazil (€98 billion or 2%), Norway (€97 billion or 2%), Russia (€77 billion or 2%) and Singapore (€69 billion or 2%). (IL/transl.fl)