The best local environment for entrepreneurship in Croatia is Sveta Nedelja, just west of Zagreb, according to the UGP Ease of Doing Business Index, a survey conducted by the Voice of Entrepreneurs Association (UGP) among Croatian entrepreneurs, mostly the association's members.

UGP reported on Tuesday it had conducted a survey among entrepreneurs to rank cities and municipalities according to how they treat the private sector, especially small and medium enterprises.

The survey, among other things, asked entrepreneurs whether local community services are directly engaged in any unfair competition with them, whether they are satisfied with the speed of obtaining various permits such as building permits, whether there is an industrial zone in the area, whether the local government encourages exports, innovation and education for the real sector, and whether it provides support.

Entrepreneurs were also asked whether they noticed any corruption or nepotism among employees, what percentage of employees in their estimation were employed through favouritism, and whether those who received any bribes were penalised. There were also questions about surtaxes, digitalisation of local government, transparency of tenders, frequency of inspections, and the like.

The ratings were from 0 to 5, and according to the survey, the best environment for entrepreneurship is Sveta Nedelja, with a rating of 3.6. It is followed by Primosten (3.44), Umag (3.33), Kastav (3.25), Viskovo (3.23), Samobor (3.08), Krizevci and Bjelovar (2.98 each), Koprivnica (2.92), and Ivanec (2.53) as the ten best cities or municipalities for doing business

Among the largest Croatian cities, Zagreb is in 38th place on the list, with a score of 1.71, Split is 46th with 1.39, Rijeka holds 27th position with 2.05, and Osijek is in 33rd place with a rating of 1.92.

“The survey showed a clear picture of the attitude of mayors towards entrepreneurs and whether they treat them like a mother or a stepmother,” said Boris Podobnik, a member of the UGP Economic Council and Supervisory Board.