Only 1% of EU companies were under foreign control in 2024, Eurostat says. They employ 16% of all workers and produce 24% of added value. The statistics office said that although these firms are few in number, they make a big contribution to Europe's economy.
In Bulgaria, 13,352 companies are under foreign control. They employ 389,414 people and generate just over €20bn in added value.
Of the foreign-controlled companies in the EU, 59% are run by institutional organisations from other EU countries. The other 41% are run by organisations from outside the bloc.
Luxembourg (28%) and Estonia (12%) have the biggest share of such companies among all their firms. Croatia follows with 5%, and in every other country the share is 5% or less. It is lowest in Poland and Italy, at 0.3% each.
These companies account for the biggest share of added value in Ireland (72%), Luxembourg (62%) and Slovakia (50%). The smallest shares are in France (15%), Italy (18%) and Germany (18%).
By jobs, both employed and self-employed, Luxembourg leads with 45%, followed by Ireland, Slovakia and Romania with 28% each. The share is lowest in Greece (8%), Cyprus (10%) and Italy (10%).