The Minister of European Funds, Marcel Boloș, announced for the first time an increase to 1 billion euros in the amount allocated for the revival of economic operators, in addition to the existing allocation for the 2014–2020 and 2021–2027 programming periods. The 1 billion amount is complementary to project launches planned to encourage entrepreneurship in the post-pandemic economy.
The package is currently being negotiated with the European Commission, and the Romanian authorities, based on the statements of Minister Marcel Boloș, are requesting support for 4 types of non-repayable grants for SMEs:
- Grants worth 10% of turnover, intended for working capital needed to finance current activities.
- Consumption vouchers, including tourism vouchers, for digitalization or services.
- Wage subsidies for persons on technical unemployment, a measure that would cover up to 50% of wage costs, once the proposal is accepted by the European Commission.
- Support for investments in the form of state aid schemes, with a maximum value of 800,000 euros per SME.
LAUNCH of the 4 types of non-repayable grants: estimated June/July 2020.
ATTENTION! Minister Marcel Boloș stated that there will be an additional budget of 150,000,000 euros, which will be used for relaunch actions under Priority Axis 2 of the Regional Operational Programme. Project calls POR 2.1 and POR 2.2 will be relaunched at the national level.