Collaboration with World Bank on Analysis of Czech Business Environment
We would like to share that Kateřina Štěpánková has received a Certificate of Appreciation from World Bank in recognition of her contribution to the Subnational Business Ready in the European Union 2025 project, led by World Bank in cooperation with the European Commission (DG REGIO).
The project aims to identify and address regional disparities through in-depth research, while supporting business reforms at the national level. Drawing on her expertise, Kateřina contributed to an analysis that provides a detailed mapping of the Czech business environment across seven cities: Brno, Liberec, Olomouc, Ostrava, Plzeň, Prague, and Ústí nad Labem.
The study highlights that although the regulatory framework in the Czech Republic is formally uniform, its practical application varies significantly across regions, as does the performance of public services—particularly in areas such as insolvency, dispute resolution, and utility services.
The study also addresses key questions that are central to businesses and their legal advisors on a daily basis, such as: How quickly and under what conditions can a new company be established in a given city? How accessible are real estate and construction permits? What is the availability of utility networks? And how efficiently do courts handle commercial disputes and insolvency proceedings?
The study forms part of a broader World Bank initiative which, in 2025, covers a total of 66 cities across six EU Member States (the Czech Republic, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Poland, and Spain), building on earlier phases of the project conducted between 2017 and 2024.
Kateřina expands on the long-standing involvement of our colleagues Václav Rovenský and Milada Kürtosiová, who contributed to similar projects from World Bank in previous years.
The report is available here.
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