London is once again ranked the top business city overall, a position it has held every year since the survey started in 1990. The findings reveal that Vienna, Austria, is the biggest riser this year - moving up six places to rank 22nd best European city for business.

Although London, Paris and Frankfurt remain the top three European cities to do business in, Moscow has been named the most favourable city in Europe for companies looking to expand according to a survey by Cushman & Wakefield. More companies (47) intend to next expand in the Russian capital than any other European city, a jump from 35 in 2009.

In its 21st year, the European Cities Monitor includes criteria such as quality of life, access to markets, availability and quality of staff, cost of office space, telecommunications and transport links.

KEY RANKINGS BY DIFFERENT CRITERIA

Source : Cushman & Wakefield, European Cities Monitor 2010

London is ranked the number one city in six of the 12 major rankings including access to markets, availability of qualified staff and international and internal transport links. It scores poorly, however, on the cost of staff, the cost of office space and levels of pollution.

James Young, Head of Cushman & Wakefield’s City office in London, commented: “Despite the financial crisis that has gripped the world over the last few years, London has retained its position as the number one place businesses want to be in Europe. Ultimately this is a city that has huge cultural, geographic and language advantages, although it must work hard to ensure that businesses are attracted by government policy and not over-regulated or taxed away."