EUROPE – Investment & Pensions Europe has published Europe’s Top 1000 for 2005, a listing of the largest schemes in Continental Europe and the UK.

The report shows that total assets under management have risen to €2.63trn from €2.34trn.

The 36-page report – published with the September edition of IPE – shows that Dutch civil service scheme Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP remains Europe’s largest scheme at €168bn – up from €156bn a year ago.

The fast-growing Norwegian Petroleum Fund is Europe’s second largest fund, at €147bn while the combined value of €66bn of Sweden’s AP funds put them in third place. Dutch health care scheme PGGM and Denmark’s ATP are fourth and fifth respectively.

The BT Pension scheme, at €38bn, retains its spot as the largest UK scheme, with the Universities Superannuation Scheme and Scottish Public pensions not far behind. The coal and electricity industry schemes round out the top five in the UK.

One of the common denominators across European pension schemes is a feeling of uncertainty, says IPE Deputy Editor George Coats.

“Many are concerned about the interest rate outlook and its impact on fixed income instruments,” he says. “But there is also a clear sense of frustration at the introduction of regulations and legislation ostensibly designed to bolster the sector.”

Much of the data comes from the latest edition of ‘International Pension Funds and the Advisers’, or the “Red Book”. This is published by Aspire, a joint venture between IPE and AP Information Services.

The supplement includes comments from Europe’s leading pension schemes as well as detailed analyses of the situation in each country.

For more information, please contact Emma Morgan-Jones on (44) 20 7261 4617 or via email: morgan.jones@ipe.com.