2009 was a very good year for foreign investment in the Netherlands, with non-Dutch players putting over €3bn into the economy, despite the economic crisis.

In 2008, foreign investment totalled €667m, figures compiled by the foreign investment agency NFIA show.
The high amount is due in part to two capital intensive projects: German power company RWE’s €2bn investment in a coal-fired power station in Eemshaven and Neste Oil of Finland’s €670m biofuel project in Rotterdam.
Foreign firms created 2,870 new jobs in the Netherlands last year, the figures show. According to NFIA calculations, foreign firms account for some 15% of Dutch jobs.
The NFIA was involved in 155 foreign investment projects last year. Of these, around 50% came from Asia and 30% North America.
‘Foreign companies and international trade are boosting our economic growth,’ and are a way out of the crisis, caretaker economic affairs minister Maria van der Hoeven said.