2015 is expected to be a difficult year for Eastern Europe. The
overall region’s economic growth is forecast to contract 0.3%,
mainly due to expectations of economic contractions in Russia
and Ukraine, and slow growth in the Eurozone. This may explain
why 22% of the respondents in Eastern Europe consider
a likely decline in their trade flows to be the greatest challenge
to business profitability this year. This is particularly the case
for respondents in the Czech Republic (36%) and Poland (25%).
This opinion is in contrast to that expressed in Western Europe,
where cost containment, also in relation to late payment, is seen
as the greatest challenge to business profitability in 2015 (24.1%
of respondents).