AKIPRESS.COM - The quality of services provided to businesses by the state is worsening in Kyrgyzstan, according to the 2013 Business Environment and Enterprise Performance Survey (BEEPS), launched in Bishkek on April 2.

The waiting times for services such as electrical and water connections, construction permits and operating licenses increased, although not significantly. The poor score on electricity is corroborated by the Getting Electricity indicator from the World Bank Doing Business (DB) report where the Kyrgyz Republic is ranked 180th, reflecting more procedures, longer time and a much higher cost of getting a connection compared to other countries.

While perceptions of interactions with the Government have improved in general, experiences may show a more nuanced picture. For example, while the share of firms reporting that business licensing and permitting are not obstacles has increased from 51 to 80 percent, the percentage of firms reporting not spending any time on government regulations went down from 52 percent in 2008 to just 8 percent in 2013, although. while more firms spent time, the share of time remained almost unchanged (13 and 14 percent in 2008 and 2013), perhaps, more firms have started following the regulations.

A joint initiative of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank Group, the 2012/2013 round of BEEPS surveyed 270 firms in all six regions of the Kyrgyz Republic to measure their perceptions and experiences on a broad range of issues concerning the business environment in the country: regulations and red tape, taxation, unofficial payments and corruption, labor and workforce development, access to financing, courts in legal system, infrastructure.