December 11 (SeeNews) - Complex administrative procedures, fast-changing legislation along with patronage and nepotism are the biggest impediments to doing business in Bulgaria, a Eurobarometer survey by the European Commission shows.
Some 64% of Bulgarian companies consider complicated administrative procedures to be a problem for doing business in the country - close to the EU average of 62%, according to the Eurobarometer survey published in December.
Bulgarian companies, however, are much more pleased with tax rates and access to financing than the average EU company, the survey indicated.
The Eurobarometer survey is based on 300 telephone interviews with Bulgarian companies conducted in the period between September 30 and October 8.
Bulgarian companies' perception of corruption shows that 85% of the respondents think corruption is a widespread problem in the country, down by 4% compared to the previous survey in 2017. Around 7% say that corruption is rare in Bulgaria, while other 7% do not express an opinion.
The most widespread corruption practices in Bulgaria are funding of political parties in exchange for public contracts or influence and kickbacks - with 46% and 39%, respectively.
Almost half of the responding companies, 49%, reported that corruption has prevented them from winning a public tender or a public procurement contract in the past three years. A total of 75% of the companies commented that people and companies that are caught for bribing a senior official are not adequately punished in Bulgaria.
Elsewhere in Southeast Europe (SEE), 97% of Romanian companies and 91% of Croatian companies perceive corruption as a widespread problem for doing business, while in Slovenia the percentage is 90%, the results of the survey show.