16/08/2001 (Agence Europe) - In its publication "Statistics in Focus" on Pension Funds, Eurostat points to an increase in the investments of pension funds in nearly all Member States for the period 1998-1999 (up on average by 13 to 20%, whereas in Austria this was 45.5%, and that, in absolute terms, Finland was the only country where there was a fall in investments, of 23.8%). In particular, Petra Sneijers reveals in this report, that focuses on autonomous pensions funds and that stresses the large heterogeneity in national pension funds, that the highest growth rate in the number of pension funds recorded was in Spain, with 13.2%, whereas Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Finland recorded a decreases in the number of funds. The report also stresses the positive developments in pension contributions, up by more than 10% in the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Austria and Spain, whereas in Belgium and Finland there were decreases by, respectively 5.6% and 31.8%..

(Petra Sneijers, Eurostat D2, L-2920 Luxembourg. E-mail Petra.Sneijers@cec.eu.int).