Not Prague, not Berlin, but Łódź is the most friendly place for business in Central and Eastern Europe as part of the Future of Emerging Europe Awards 2021.

Business-Friendly Perception Index is selected by a jury composed of over 100 experts in the field of foreign direct investment, location selection consultants, and location analysts. This group assessed one hundred Central and Eastern European cities with over 200,000 inhabitants. It also took into account the capitals of Montenegro (Podgorica) and Kosovo (Pristina), which do not reach this population level.

Łódź has reasons to be proud because this is the first time this distinction has been awarded to a city that is not a capital city. In this way, the Polish city outclassed Prague, Ljubljana, Budapest, and Kyiv. Last year, the Hungarian capital was the winner.

Experts assessed the cities in eight categories: brand, economic potential, business climate, talent pool, smart city development, infrastructure and connectivity, quality of life, support of local authorities. Łódź also won in two of the above-mentioned categories. There is the best business climate here and the support of local authorities.

"We are glad that our efforts have been noticed," Hanna Zdanowska, the mayor of Łódź, told Emerging Europe.

"The city attracts investors with its good location, competitive prices, and well-qualified staff. We are also constantly working on improving the quality of life in the city thanks to numerous investments co-financed by the European Union. Łódź has a consistent vision of the direction in which it wants to develop and we hope that in the future it can do even more good,” she commented.

(Gazeta.pl)