Key Findings
- The regulatory framework is harmonized across the five benchmarked cities and all topics, but implementation varies across most areas except Business Entry and Business Insolvency.
- Business Entry is the best performing topic (average 86.7) with low cost (0.1% of GNI per capita) but a 30-day timeline; Business Location is lowest-scoring topic (average 60.8) and varies widely between Property Transfers, Building Permits and Environmental Permits.
- Waterford shows the greatest topic variation, with a 28-point gap between Business Entry and Dispute Resolution, indicating uneven efficiency and predictability.
- Galway has the highest overall score (73.2) and shows strong consistency, leading in Business Location and scoring above average across topics. Cork leads in Dispute Resolution, while trailing in Business Location.
- Ireland’s legal and institutional foundations are solid, but city-level performance gaps point to needs for improved local implementation, simpler procedures, and greater institutional consistency.
