A mere 1 per cent of EU market producer enterprises were under foreign control in 2023, but their value to the EU economy in terms of employment and value added is significant, according to figures from Eurostat.
The figures from the EU’s statistics agency show that 60 per cent of enterprises were controlled by institutional units from other EU countries, and 40% resided outside the EU.
Luxembourg was host to the highest percentage of foreign-controlled companies at 28%, followed by Estonia (11%). In all other EU countries, foreign-controlled enterprises represented 5% or less of all enterprises, with shares ranging from 0.3% in Poland and Italy to 5% in Croatia.
However, although their number is small, contribution of foreign-controlled enterprises to the EU economy in terms of employment and, especially, value added, is significant. These enterprises employed 16% of people working in the EU, and their share of total value added represented 24% of the EU total.
Among EU countries, value added by foreign-controlled enterprises was the highest in Ireland (71%), Luxembourg (61%) and Slovakia (50%). By contrast, the lowest shares of value added were observed in France (15%), Italy (17%) and Greece and Germany (each 18%).
In terms of employees and self-employed persons, foreign-controlled enterprises represented 45% of jobs in Luxembourg, and 28% in Slovakia and Czechia. Conversely, they accounted for 10% of jobs or less in Greece (8%), Cyprus and Italy (each 10%).
Statistics explained on foreign-controlled enterprises statistics – inward FATS
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