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The paper presents the results of an international comparative survey of stakeholders from four European countries (the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Romania). The aim was to identify and classify the 'success factors' of brownfields regeneration and to detect significant convergences and divergences concerning the drivers and barriers of regeneration processes in different geographical and institutional contexts. The existence of ecological burden or site contamination, overall regeneration costs and clarified ownership relations are considered the most important factors of regeneration internationally. Especially in Romania but also in Poland, the factors at national level (legislation, incentives, and foreign direct investments) are perceived to be more influential than in the Czech Republic and Germany, where a stronger emphasis is put on the location factors (whether a brownfield is located in rural, urban or inner city area) and transport links. Physical attributes such as the site's area and terrain are also considered among the most significant factors in Romania. While representatives of public administration emphasized more the importance of legislation, state incentives and general localization, the investors and developers highlighted local factors (landscape protection limits, place marketing, and previous use of brownfields). The emphasis on political and geographical factors increases with the level of experience of stakeholders, while the emphasis on site specific factors decreases with the length of experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]