- Germany: Between January and September 2001, EUR 43 billion were invested in Germany by foreign investors, that is, five times less than during the same period in 2000, which was marked by the takeover of MANNESMANN by British VODAFONE. Hilmar Kopper, responsible for the promotion of Standort Deutschland with foreign firms, remains optimistic for the future, however, with the entry into force, on 1 January last, of tax exemption on sales of stakes in German companies that should boost...