评估欧盟27国的商业环境：概述（英）

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry under review. Core Insights - The primary obstacles faced by firms in the EU27 are an "inadequately educated workforce" and "tax rates," with the former cited in 99 out of 186 NUTS2 regions and the latter in 51 regions, indicating that nearly 74% of regions identify one of these two issues as their top concern [21][23][28] - Economic disparities within the EU27 are more pronounced at the sub-national level than at the country level, with the highest-income NUTS2 regions earning 2.7 times more than the lowest-income regions, compared to a 2.4 times difference at the country level [2][3] - The European Union has implemented targeted funds to promote regional convergence, but the success of these initiatives has been uneven, and the pace of convergence has slowed in recent years [4][8] Summary by Sections Business Environment Assessment - The World Bank Enterprise Surveys (WBES) provide a comprehensive view of the business environment across the EU27, with nearly 19,000 interviews conducted with business leaders from 2018 to 2022 [11][13] - The surveys reveal that firms' perceptions of obstacles are critical for understanding the business environment, with a focus on the top obstacles identified by firms [21][22] Regional Disparities - The report highlights significant income disparities among sub-national regions, with poorer regions more likely to cite tax rates as their primary obstacle, while wealthier regions focus on workforce education [28][31] - The analysis indicates that country-level factors play a more significant role in determining firms' perceptions of obstacles than regional characteristics [31][32] Firm-Level Analysis - More productive firms are less likely to report workforce education or tax rates as their top obstacles, suggesting that productivity may mitigate the impact of these issues [37][39] - Larger firms tend to report an inadequately educated workforce as a top obstacle but are less likely to cite tax rates, indicating a complex relationship between firm size, productivity, and perceived obstacles [37][40] Future Research Directions - The report sets the stage for future briefs that will delve deeper into the relationship between firm performance, management practices, and the broader business environment in the EU27 [41][42]