The aim of this paper is to conduct a basic survey of the business environment in the European Union. With regard to the objective of the work, this initial research will analyze business demography such their total number and the creation of new businesses between 2010 and 2017 within the European Union countries. Data for this research are used from the Eurostat database. As part of further research, studies will be published focusing on identifying key aspects leading to easier business start-ups and identifying factors threatening business start-ups, which are also closely related to the subsequent quality of the business environment. This article should therefore be seen as an initial survey to give a partial picture of the state of the business environment in the European Union countries.