GrowthPlus, the pan-European association that groups "the fastest growing companies in Europe" has, like every year, published its list of the 500 fastest growing companies in Europe (the 15 EU Member Sates plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland). The publication draws attention to the fast growing companies and their entrepreneurs whose strategies give rise to the creation of jobs in all industrial sectors in Europe. These companies, states Robin Lockerman, Director General of GrowthPlus, should be recognised as models and their competences transmitted to Europe as a whole. He said fast growth European companies are the pillars for employment creation and that Europe needs more companies and entrepreneurs of this kind. The companies listed in this new edition were classified according to a criterion called the "Birch index". The indicator takes into account both relative and absolute growth placing emphasis on the creation of jobs strictly speaking. According to figures published, 500 companies in the list have increased the number of jobs they generate threefold, creating over 252,090 new posts throughout Europe over the past five years. For each enterprise, this amounts to an average of 504 new jobs or 100 per enterprise and per year. German is by far the country that is most present on the list with 113 companies, four of which rank among the top five, followed by the United Kingdom (61), Italy (56), and France (54). Then come Spain (39), Austria (24), Greece (22°, Belgium and Sweden (21), the Netherlands (20), Ireland and Switzerland (13), Finland and Portugal (9), Denmark (8), Iceland (7), Norway (6) and Luxembourg (3). The Internet and information technology sector is the sector most represented (168 companies). The top company is INTERSHOP COMMUNICATIONS (Germany) and is active in this sector, followed by SONG NETWORK HOLDING (Sweden, communications), TELESENSKSCL (Germany, consumer goods), KAMPS (Germany, consumer goods) and BROKAT TECHNOLOGIES (Germany, information technology and Internet). Contact: Nikki Walker (GrowthPlus); Tel.: (32-2) 743 15 52, e-mail: nikki@associationhq.com.