Poland topped the latest Ernst & Young European Attractiveness Survey, placing as the most attractive European investment location, PolishMarketOnline reported.

Poland also ranked second in creating new jobs and seventh in the number of new investment projects.

This year’s edition of the annual survey featured 834 investor representatives from 43 countries.

The survey shows that foreign enterprises include Poland more and more in their investment plans.

„The fact that Poland placed as the most popular site in Europe shows that investors look not only at criteria like infrastructure, transport or labor costs, but also a country’s future prospects. For instance, investors will often agree to put up with bad infrastructure or hazy tax laws if the country’s market is interesting, if its workforce is competent and reliable, and if they can count on financial aid from its government – as in the end it is the host country that benefits most from such projects. In this respect Poland as a whole ranks very highly in investor eyes”, said Agnieszka Tałasiewicz from Partner Ernst & Young.

According to the survey authors last year saw a marked rise in foreign investment throughout Europe, although more and more enterprises sought leverage on the fast-growing Asian market. Not surprisingly, therefore, China, Hong-Kong, Singapore and India placed among the world’s top 10 most attractive investment sites (top of this category were the U.S.A.).

Unfortunately Poland is still low in innovation. According to Krzysztof Rybiński from Partner Ernst & Young, Poland should make use of its high status as the most attractive European investment site to speed up reforms and upgrade infrastructure and education.

Bulgaria ranked seventeenth in the survey.