GreenMed Journal
The Anima-Mipo observatory gives us a quite negative report about foreign investments in terms of quality and quantity.
The Anima-MipoObservatory has published a report concerning foreign direct investments: “The challenges of transition” in the MED Countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Libya and Turkey).
The report says that this disappointment is remarkable. With the exception of Turkey, Israel and Lebanon, the Countries “don’t attract many investments” mainly because of the economic crisis and the “Arabian spring”. Moreover, the Observatory adds that “ the projects of foreign direct investments areconcentrated in non-efficient sectors in terms of employment” and can increase the “enviroment pression on an already exploited coast”.
In addition to the foreign direct investments and to the income from tourism, there’s also a decrease of exports in 2011 (-16% in Egypt, -30% in Syria, -67% in Libya).
Anima wishes the return of private investments answering “all the needs of the region”. Moreover, the Observatory invites the different players to include, in their investment projects, the idea of durable development.
In Europe, Companies are always on top and still represent almost “half (45% in 2011) of total foreign investments”. But with only “ 12 billions of euros announced in 2011, 7 billions less compared to 2010, the Europeans are at their lowest level since 2004”.
The investments of certain Countries from South Mediterranean continue to “suddently decrease”: in Turkey, in Egypt (6 billions of euros less in 2011 compared to 2010) and in Syria (2 billions of euros less than 2010).
In Lebanon “the number of projects is steady but the total of euros used is in strong decrease (64 millions of euros, 10% of 2010 foreign direct investments)” and in Jordan “the decrease compared to 2010 is remarkable too: two times less than the announced projects”. Palestinaisn’t part of any investment project.
If in Algeria the foreign direct investment have doubled between 2012 and 2011, it’s due to the “historically low level of 2010”. But the projects concerning the Country are “more diversified than before” in the real estate, bank, energy and pharmaceutical sectors. Tunisia and Moroccohave lost each one 1 billions of euros of foreign direct investments between 2010 and 2011 andLibya has seen its total of FDI reduced of four times in 2011.
Only Israel “ in 2011 has had the same record levels of foreign direct investments of 2005-2006”.
This datas slightly decrease the disappointment of the Observatory with “a slight increse of the FDI made during the last trimesters” but also the appearance “of a certain sector rotation concerning the investment projects that has favoured the most strategic sectors for the Region (agrofood, medical, industry, distribuition) and more efficient in terms of employment (logistic, car industry, electronics and banks).
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