Denmark remains an attractive FDI target for Asia

Despite the generally appalling business conditions in 2009, Invest in Denmark managed to deliver results that compare well with 2008, reports national daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende. In 2009 the national investment promotion agency attracted 42 companies to Denmark and thereby created 2,000 new jobs.

 

This total may not seem much when viewed alongside the number of people made redundant in Denmark last year as a result of the economic downturn, but even so the result is a positive one, thinks the chief economist of Nordea Bank, Helge Pedersen.

 

"In times of crisis it is always difficult to attract foreign investments. So it is very encouraging that we have been able to attract very significant investments to Denmark in areas such as cleantech," said Pedersen, who drew particular attention to the fact that 43% of the 42 investments came from Asia.

 

Invest in Denmark declined to provide information on the total amount of inward investment, citing confidentiality. But 24 of the 42 investors have made public statements from which it can be calculated that FDI from these players amounts to DKK 1.7bn (USD 314m), which in turn has produced derivative economic effects in the domestic economy of around DKK 1bn (USD 185m).