United States Department of State

The GoRSS continues to welcome foreign investment but the ongoing civil conflict and poor financial management make South Sudan a very difficult investment climate. Armed conflict broke out on December 15, 2013 between government and anti-government forces and the two sides failed to reach an agreement to permanently stop the fighting, divide power and create a transitional government. The U. S State of Department maintains a Travel Advisory warning American citizens not to travel to South Sudan.

Until the mid-1980s, Sweden's approach to direct investment from abroad was quite restrictive and governed by a complex system of laws and regulations. Sweden's entry into the European Union (EU) in 1995 has greatly improved the investment climate and attracted foreign investors to the country. The number of foreign subsidiaries in Sweden increased sharply from the mid1990s, from just over 3,000 to over 10,000, ten years later. Despite substantial FDI inflows, the stock of Swedish assets held abroad still exceeds the stock of foreign assets in Sweden.

The Government of Suriname (GOS) officially considers foreign direct investment an important contribution towards developing the country. The GOS Development Plan 2012-2016 identifies bilateral and multilateral partners as well as private foreign investors as important means to develop the economy. The GOS created the Investment Development Corporation in April 2014 but it appears to be a marketing vehicle without any policy or regulatory role at present. Suriname has no investment laws or policies which discriminate against foreign investors by prohibiting, limiting or conditioning foreign investment in most sectors. Oil is the exception where the state-owned oil company, Staatsolie, maintains sole ownership of all oil-related activities. Foreign investment is possible through exploration and production sharing agreements with Staatsolie. Staatsolie executes oil exploration agreements with foreign firms through a fair and competitive bidding process.

The Irish government actively promotes foreign direct investment (FDI), a strategy that has fueled economic growth since the mid-1990s. The principal goal of Ireland's investment promotion has been employment creation, especially in technology-intensive and high-skill industries. More recently, the government has focused on Ireland's international competitiveness by encouraging foreign-owned companies to enhance research and development (R&D) activities and to deliver higher-value goods and services. The Irish government's actions have achieved considerable success in attracting U. S. investment, in particular. As of year-end 2013, the stock of U. S. foreign direct investment in Ireland stood at USD 240 billion, more than the U. S. total for China, India, Russia, Brazil, and South Africa (the BRICS countries) combined. There are approximately 700 U. S. subsidiaries currently in Ireland employing roughly 115,000 people and supporting work for another 250,000, out of a total of 1.94 million people employed in a labor force of 2.15 million. U. S. firms operate primarily in the following sectors: chemicals, bio-pharmaceuticals and medical devices, computer hardware and software, electronics, and financial services.

The Government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, through Invest Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Invest SVG), strongly encourages foreign direct investment in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, particularly in industries that create jobs and earn foreign currency. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an emerging and developing investment player. The government is pursuing investment in niche markets, particularly tourism, international financial services, agro-processing, light manufacturing, creative industries, and information and communication technology (ICT). The government offers special incentive packages for foreign investments in the hotel industry and light manufacturing. There are also provisions for incentive packages on an ad hoc basis. Tourism is the primary focus of the government with a new international airport and several resorts under construction. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines benefits from a low inflation rate and growing opportunities in the trade and export sectors.

The Government of Saint Kitts and Nevis strongly encourages foreign direct investment, particularly in industries that create jobs, earn foreign currency, and have a positive impact on its citizens. Saint Kitts and Nevis is home to the ECCB, the Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange and the Eastern Caribbean Securities Regulatory Commission. Saint Kitts and Nevis bases its legal system on the British common law system. The Constitution of Saint Kitts and Nevis guarantees constitutional independence of the judiciary. The government has instituted a number of investment incentives for businesses considering the possibility of locating in Saint Kitts and Nevis, encouraging both domestic and foreign private investment. Government policies provide liberal tax holidays, duty-free import of equipment and materials, and subsidies for training provided to local personnel. Foreign investors may also hold up to 100 percent of an investment.

On paper, PNG has a liberal investment regime, and the government has recently placed a priority on the downstream processing of its extractive resources to spur economic growth. Prime Minister Peter O'Neill is known as being business friendly, and has been hailed for providing the political impetus to allow ExxonMobil PNG's massive LNG project to proceed and produce first gas ahead of schedule. Many businesses in PNG are foreign owned, although this has caused some PNG nationals - and politicians - to raise concerns that foreign investment engagement does not allow for a fair operating environment for PNG entrepreneurs. In 2013 and 2014, the PNG government took several steps to create additional opportunities for PNG business owners and to protect certain industries from foreign investment. PNG expropriated a mining company, which was the largest source of tax revenue in the country, in order to remove their foreign national leadership and also in an effort to ensure that the company's mission was directed towards benefiting the local economy. Since August 2013, the PNG government has instituted a new policy directed towards SME's, which is designed to increase the industry sectors that are reserved for nationals. This new policy is said to have prevented Vodaphone Fiji from acquiring BeMobile and is also blocked Malaysian company Kulim from acquiring majority shares in New Britain Palm Oil Limited. In addition to this there are been comments on the government's intention to pass laws that limit foreign ownership in the media sector.

Serbia is open to FDI, and attracting FDI is a priority for the government. Even during its communist past, Serbia prioritized international commerce and has attracted a sizeable international business community. This trend looks to continue, as the government approved a package of incentives for foreign investors in June 2014 and adopted a new decree on subsidies for direct investments in March 2015. Serbia's Law on Foreign Investments extends national treatment to foreign investors, allows the transfer or repatriation of profits and dividends, provides guarantees against expropriation, and allows customs-duty waivers for equipment imported as capital-in-kind. The law prohibits foreign companies from establishing or obtaining majority ownership of a company that produces or trades arms, for example, in the defense industry, or in specific, prohibited areas of the country. The Law on Foreign Exchange Operations regulates payments between residents and non-residents, while the Law on Protection of Competition regulates fair market competition.