(03 July 2018) – Today the Commission and the World Bank are publishing a new report assessing what supports or hinders entrepreneurs in setting up and expanding businesses in 25 cities in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Portugal and Slovakia.
The report identifies solutions to improve local business environments and save time and costs for companies in 5 key areas: starting a business; dealing with construction permits; enforcing contracts; getting electricity; and registering property.
The Commission has been working closely with national and regional authorities, in the context of Cohesion Policy, to improve the way they invest EU funds and to set the right conditions for growth and job creation.
Under the Catching up initiative, the Commission, in partnership with the World Bank, provides tailored support to a number of low-growth and low-income regions to guide structural reforms that can help EU and national investments unleash their full potential and attract more private capital.
This publication is the second in a series of report on business environments in the EU; most EU Member States should be covered by these reports in the future.