The global framework regulation costs indicator, which aggregates nine domains, registered a value of 3.14 in 2024, on a continuous scale of 1 to 5 (3.09 in 2021, 3.05 in 2017, and 3.04 in 2014). Manufacturing had the highest value for this indicator (3.27), while Transportation and storage, Information and communication recorded the largest increase compared to 2021 (+0.20). The indicator was also higher in small and medium enterprises, as well as in enterprises headquartered in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, which reached 3.22 and 3.24, respectively (+0.07 and +0.16 compared to 2021).

In 2024, among the various domains assessed, the judicial system remained the domain with the highest indicator (3.66), with 53.7% of enterprises considering the duration of legal proceedings to be a high or very high obstacle. In the tax system, the tax burden remained the aspect most frequently identified by enterprises as an obstacle to their activity. In the licensing domain, obtaining environmental licences and certifications was identified as the main obstacle by enterprises in the Manufacturing sector.

The human resources domain recorded the largest increase in the indicator, reaching 3.24 compared to 2021 (+0.14), a deterioration associated with difficulties in hiring workers, accessing qualified technicians, and accrediting skills, whose indicators increased by 0.18, 0.15 and 0.15, respectively. These factors were perceived as high or very high obstacles by 46.8%, 50.6% and 32.2% of enterprises, respectively.

Network industries recorded an improvement in the indicator compared to 2021 (-0.04), reflecting positive evolutions in most services included in this domain, with liquid fuels (-0.17) standing out. Electricity and freight transport (land transport) services were the only ones recording indicator values equal to or greater than 3, with 3.12 and 3.00, respectively.

The provision and submission of business and tax information was the obligation that represented the greatest weight in the average annual cost associated with compliance with reporting obligations, with 61.2% of this cost covered directly by enterprises and the remainder through outsourcing. This was followed by the costs of audits, inspections and controls, and those associated with the placement of information labels and the provision of information to consumers and other entities, which represented 21.5% and 11.0% of the total, corresponding to increases of 1.9 p.p. and 3.5 p.p., respectively, compared to 2021.