TEHRAN - Iran’s Business Environment Index which was 6.04 last winter (Dec. 22, 2023-March 19, 2024) stood the same in the spring of the current year (March 20-June 20), according to a recent report published by Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA).

The index calculated by ICCIMA seeks to measure the business friendliness of Iran’s economy, with 10 indicating the worst grade. The lower the figure, the better the business environment.

Economic operators who took part in the ICCIMA survey believe that difficulties in getting banking facilities, unpredictability and price changes of raw materials and products, and instability of policies and regulations were the main stumbling blocks in the way of their business.

Iran’s National Business Environment Index is fashioned after the World Bank’s “Ease of Doing Business” index.

Iran Chamber also measures the index for each of the 31 Iranian provinces. The provinces of Markazi, Khuzestan, and Hamedan had the best scores while Hormozgan, Kordestan, and Fars had the worst scores.

Earlier this month, the 103rd meeting of the dialogue council of the government and the Tehran Province’s private sector was held at the place of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (TCCIMA), in which ways of improving the business environment and the challenges and solutions in this regard were discussed.

The meeting was attended by Governor-General of Tehran Province Alireza Fakhari and TCCIMA Head Mahmoud Najafi Arab, as well as some MPs and the representatives of the province’s private sector.

During the gathering, the government and private sector representatives also discussed some restrictions imposed on the activities of business persons, and described such restrictions as disrupting production and trade.

Speaking at the meeting, Fakhari referred to the change of government and being on the verge of forming a new cabinet, and asked the Tehran Chamber of Commerce to provide the government with the private sector opinions and present a report on the measures taken by the government and private sector dialogue council in the 13th government to the ministries and government organizations in the new tenure.

Emphasizing on accelerating the processes of improving the business environment, Fakhari added: “What is clear and obvious is that we do not lack laws and regulations in the country, but the law enforcers do not perform their duties properly and we are faced with negligence in the executive bodies that enforce the laws, and this issue must be corrected.”

Najafi Arab for his part, pointed out that the TCCIMA tried to show the position of the private sector to the presidential candidates during the election period saying: “In this period, a good environment was created for the private sector to explain their expectations for the presidential election candidates. After the elections, private sector representatives attended the working groups to determine cabinet options and the chamber also announced its opinions.”

EF/MA