Economic importance of the Flemish maritime ports: Report 2002

3.4 Overall data on direct investmentThe study relates to tangible fixed assets at current prices as fixed assets realised in the course of the financialyear. Some corrections are made in the event of takeovers, as stated in the methodology (annex 1).TABLE 4INVESTMENT(millions of euros)1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 Relativeshare in2002(in p.c.)Changefrom 1995to 2002(in p.c.)Annualaveragechange(in p.c.)Antwerp ................ 1,098.2 1,231.8 1,224.6 1,211.8 1,012.0 1,321.4 1,559.5 1,481.3 59.2 34.9 4.4Ghent.................... 331.4 447.4 385.3 430.5 659.0 600.3 629.8 802.4 32.0 142.1 13.5Ostend .................. 154.2 50.8 90.1 101.5 117.7 97.5 64.8 58.5 2.3 - 62.0 - 12.9Zeebrugge ............ 109.9 97.4 130.1 187.6 191.0 166.4 122.7 110.0 4.4 0.1 0.0Outside ports ........ 55.5 65.4 71.5 80.1 70.5 77.9 63.2 51.6 2.1 - 7.0 - 1.0Total investment. 1,749.2 1,892.8 1,901.5 2,011.5 2,050.3 2,263.5 2,440.0 2,503.8 100.0 43.1 5.3Source: NBB.For Antwerp, the year 2001 constitutes a peak for the period concerned, with investments exceeding 1.5 billioneuro (table 4). The upward trend, which began in 2000, seemed to be confirmed after a more modest year in1999. From 1995 to 2002, the port of Ghent saw investments more than double (+ 142.1 p.c., i.e. + 13.5 p.c. asan annual average). At Antwerp, the amount of investment has increased by 4.4 p.c. per annum over the sameperiod. On the other hand, there was stagnation at Zeebrugge (after several increases in 1997 and 1998, in 2002it returned to the 1995 level) and a drop of 12.9 p.c. per annum at Ostend. In 2002, investments at current pricesreached 2.5 billion euro for all ports, i.e. a rise of 2.6 p.c. in comparison to the previous year: this level was abovethe investment price index for 2002 (- 0.4 p.c. 29 ) This trend came from the port of Ghent, which recorded a rise of27.4 p.c. However, investments dropped in the other three ports: - 5.0 p.c. for Antwerp, - 9.6 p.c. for Ostendand - 10.4 p.c. for Zeebrugge. These developments are examined in detail in the next chapter.3.5 Overall data on the social balance sheet 30Since its introduction in 1996, the social balance sheet has offered a consistent data set covering changes invarious aspects of company employment ranging from staff appointments and staff composition to employees’contractual status and qualifications, personnel costs, training policy and reasons for contract termination. As notall companies included in this study file their annual accounts based on the full presentation, the findings beloware not exhaustive. Indeed, the constant sample defined for the period from 2000 to 2002 groups together 1,555companies, which is slightly less than half of the total population considered in this study (3,147 companies in2002). Comments focus on the changes that took place during the last three years. The 2002 figures are given ingreater detail, by sector, in annex 7.2930Source: Belgostat online (http://www.belgostat.be)The national data given in point 3.5 are taken from the Social Balance Sheet 2002 (NBB, Economic Review 2003/4). Theresults given here relate to a constant sample and are aggregated for all of the ports.NBB WORKING PAPER No. 56 - JUNE 2004 13