- 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 foreign investments in the country. According to Mr Kopper, foreign investment in the country was last year "better than could be predicted by economic developments". Thus, the average of the first nine months of the years 1990 to 1999 only reached EUR 26 billion. The United States remains the largest foreign investor on German soil, followed by the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France. The branches most concerned are industry and services. Currently, some 20,000 foreign companies are present, providing employment to over 2 million.