Zróżnicowanie terminów płatności w wybranych krajach Europy

The paper presents the results of the analysis of differentiate the structure and cycles of receivables by sector in selected European countries in 2007-2012. The analysis was based on data from the international credit reference agency reports Intrum Justitia - "European Payment Index". Studies have shown that the term structure of receivables in European countries varies greatly. The most favorable structure of receivables were characterized by the Scandinavian countries and Finland, Austria, Estonia, Germany, Iceland and Switzerland. On the other hand a significant share of receivables paid after 3 months occurred in Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece and Cyprus. In 2012 compared to 2008, in most European countries, the risk of payment, as measured by the payment index, increased. The lowest risk of payment also include the Scandinavian countries and Finland and Iceland. In turn, the critical level of risk and its large increase compared to 2008, occurred in Portugal, Greece and Spain, so those countries that are most affected by the financial crisis.