2024-11-17-世界银行-2024年欧盟次国家级企业准备就绪_保加利亚（英）_160页_16mb

Summary of Subnational Business Ready in the European Union 2024: Bulgaria

This summary examines the World Bank's 2024 Subnational Business Ready study of Bulgaria's business climate, focusing on regulatory frameworks, public services, and operational efficiency across six cities: Burgas, Pleven, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofia, and Varna. The study assesses six key areas: Business Entry, Business Location, Utility Services, Dispute Resolution, and Business Insolvency.

Bulgaria performs well in Business Entry, ranking sixth overall out of six cities (score of 92.8/100), with strong digitalization and efficient processes for registering companies. All cities meet the national efficiency standard of completing a Limited Liability Company registration in 12 days, with higher rates of online registration in larger cities.

In Business Location, average city scores stand at 95 points out of 100. Business Location regulations are mostly aligned with international standards. Among subtopics, Utility Services (score 88.5/100) shows the most variation, with Burgas and Plovdiv leading but Pleven excelling in utility efficiency. Dispute Resolution (71.3/100) highlights inconsistency, particularly in commercial litigation duration. Time gaps in legal processes negatively impact efficiency and equity.

Business Insolvency varies significantly across cities, with shorter processes in Plovdiv (24 months liquidation vs. 42 in Varna). Legal barriers to recovery remain, and costs differ primarily between regions.

Key policy recommendations include enhancing dispute resolution mechanisms, further digitalizing administrative processes, and ensuring better data consistency to drive uniform improvements across all six cities.