Czech businesses most often invest into energy sector

Prague, Nov 26 (CTK) - Czech companies invest abroad the most frequently into the energy sector and food production, and Slovakia and Germany are the most popular countries for them, according to a study of the firm TPA Horwath on investments of Czech companies abroad between 2005 and H1 2012.

Czech companies made 95 transactions in the period. The price of one acqusition was the most often around EUR41m (Kc1bn).

"Mostly larger Czech companies and groups penetrate foreign markets through the purchase of a stake," said TPA Horwath partner Igor Mesensky.

The size of the transaction in the case of Czech investors was roughly twice as big as the usual price in the Central and East European region.

By the number of mergers and acquisitions, the Czech Republic and Poland are the most important countries in the region in the long term. Seventy percent of the total investment activity in the region went to the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Hungary.

Among the most popular sectors are financial services (banking, insurance, loans and leasing services), industrial companies and services (equipment and machinery for industry, production of iron and steel, industrial services) and food production.

TPA Horwath provides tax consulting and auditing services in the Czech Republic since 1993. It is active in ten Central and East European countries.