The report authors praised Poland for lowering copyright registration costs and improving the execution of contracts. They noted, however, that Poland’s results varied strongly in the ranking’s various categories – from 33rd in investor protection to only 156th in the ease with which licenses and permits are obtained. In all, Poland moved 6 places down against the previous year. The report also points out that in 2006/2007 countries on a similar level to Poland carried through more business reforms.
According to the report authors, the following reforms would make business in Poland visibly easier:
1. The elimination of capital size requirements for startup businesses;
2. Speedier construction permission procedures;
3. Broader introduction of online tax payment.
Such reforms require either administrative changes or well-planned moves by the government. If introduced, they could change the business climate in Poland by eliminating much of the present hampering bureaucracy. These short-term reforms would also help create a more conducive environment for medium- and long-term change. “Were Poland to carry through the reforms suggested in the Doing Business Report, it could considerably raise its position in the general ranking, as was the case with Georgia and Croatia”, said the report’s main author Simeon Djankov.

Economy Rankings

Economies are ranked by the ease with which one does business in them on a scale from 1 (best) to 178 (worst). A high ranking on the ease of doing business index means the regulatory environment is conducive to business operations. This index averages the country’s percentile rankings on 10 topics using a variety of indicators, with equal weight given to each topic.