regulation

The article analyses the present state of regulation of accommodation and taxi services in Slovakia. We then briefly describe the arrival of sharing economy platforms such as Uber and Airbnb into Slovakia. We present our recommendations for changes in the public regulations.

In late 2015 – early 2016, when the ABCA survey was conducted, Ukrainian small and medium businesses mostly assessed business climate in the country as neutral or negative. Only 6% of the polled SMEs believed that business climate was favorable.

Italy is one of the first countries in Europe that has the major number of users and people aware of what is the so-called “sharing economy” (it is the third country after Turkey and Spain).

Ranked 20th in the 2016 World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Index, Lithuania has outstripped its closest neighbours Latvia and Poland. Yet, possibilities of forging ahead as one of the most business-friendly economies are not fully exhausted.

The last couple of weeks bore witness to some interesting news. Headlines generated from ranks of the European Union were complemented by updates from the realm of new technologies and applications continuously on a crusade of further progress and development even in the world of virtual currencies.

With Lithuanian Parliamentary elections approaching, Lithuanian MPs like magicians are pulling out of a hat same old populistic laws. Once again they are trying to push through an old and already bashed suggestion that prohibits people from working on holidays.

To create Silicon Valleys in Poland and Europe, recognize that they cannot be designed and that the winners and losers they comprise cannot be predicted. Especially by governments. Focus instead on creating the right climate and environment: attractive taxes and unobtrusive regulation. Trust in freedom and free markets.

Just a single year has passed since the introduction of the infamous shop closure law in Hungary, but the Fidesz-led right-wing government had already withdrew the regulation that forbade most retail outlets to open and serve customers on Sundays.

The Czech government continues to do its utmost to limit the economic freedom of individuals. Nowadays, the attention of lawmakers turns to the restriction on opening hours of malls and supermarkets with the floor area larger than 200 square meters during public holidays (8 days per year including Easter or Christmas).

During the last fifty years, the United States and the EU countries have developed very high, though different, consumers protection standards. A free trade agreement based on the unification of standards will be unrealistic. Ideas of functional equivalents and/or mutual recognition of national standards is the best recipe.