Ernst & Young: Germany "Global Player" and Top Investment Destination in Western Europe

Berlin (ots) - Germany is a business "global player" and the top
investment destination in western Europe according to the findings of
Ernst & Young's "Location Germany 2008: Germany and Europe -
International Manager Assessment" report.

According to the annual study, conducted with over 800
international business decision makers, Germany is the world's
leading logistics nation and one of the world's most innovative
countries. For the very first time, Germany has also claimed top spot
in the report's "Administration and Accountancy" category, beating
off India and USA into second and third places respectively.

Germany's exceptional strength in logistics has already been
underlined by the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Competitiveness
Report 2008, which awarded the German economy global first place for
infrastructure. As well as being home to a considerable number of
logistics "global players," Germany also plays host to a diverse and
highly qualified range of small to medium-sized logistics service
providers. Differentiated labor costs, a highly flexible labor force,
and a robust commercial property market - particularly in the new
federal states - proved to be the decisive factors in Germany
retaining its logistics crown.

The report also concludes positively in favor of Germany's
infrastructure. Germany enjoys the densest and best-developed traffic
and communications infrastructures in the whole of Europe: it is
possible to reach around 200 million consumers across Europe within
24 hours by rail or road freight transportation from Berlin.

Germany's longstanding reputation as a seat of innovative
excellence has been further bolstered by the study's findings.
Germany is second only to the US in terms of attractiveness as an
R&D location, and counts as the third most innovative country in the
world behind the USA and China respectively. Eighty-three percent of
those surveyed consider the innovative ability within Germany to be
positive, with one in five holding it to be "very positive." Within
Europe, Germany is the undisputed leader in new patent registrations;
registering almost three times as many patents as its nearest
European rival France.

The report's author, Peter Englisch, believes that this year's
findings provide concrete proof of Germany's growing attractiveness
as an investment location. "Our findings show that Germany continues
to make significant gains as an attractive inward investment
destination. International investors are attracted to the country's
reputation as an innovative power with a highly qualified and
flexible labor pool. World-beating logistics and a world-class
traffic and communications infrastructure add further incentive to
companies keen to move into European markets."

Commenting on this year's results, Invest in Germany Managing
Director Michael Pfeiffer said, "We are delighted to see Germany
retain its position as the world leader in logistics and further
build upon its reputation as the top investment location in western
Europe for international businesses in this year's report."

According to Englisch, one in four foreign investors surveyed plan
to invest in Germany; with more than one-third of those already
investing in Germany planning follow-up investments. Thirty percent
of companies questioned believe that Germany has become an even more
attractive investment destination. The outlook for Germany's future
is likewise overwhelmingly positively perceived; with 35 percent of
the decision makers questioned predicting Germany's attractiveness to
increase in the coming years.

Invest in Germany is the inward investment promotion agency of the
Federal Republic of Germany. It provides investors with comprehensive
support from site selection to the implementation of investment
decisions.

Originaltext: Invest in Germany
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Contact:
Invest in Germany GmbH

Headquarters:
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10117 Berlin, Germany,
T: +49-30-200-099-0,
F: +49-30-200-099-111,
office@invest-in-germany.com,
http://www.invest-in-germany.com

Media Contact:
Eva Henkel,
T:+49-30-200-099-123,
F:+49-30-200-099-111,
henkel@invest-in-germany.com