Moldovan small, medium enterprises to receive financial support within EU competitiveness development programme

Chisinau, 24 May /MOLDPRES/-Almost 40 Moldovan entrepreneurs today attended the first information event on the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) (COSME). The event was organized by the Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM), the national contact center of COSME programme in Moldova.

The participants were informed that Moldova was the first member-state of the Eastern Partnership to join COSME. With its help, Moldovan entrepreneurs and young people will receive support in the following fields: easier access to new markets, especially on the EU territory, promotion of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial culture, as well as better conditions to launch and develop businesses. Moldova will pay an annual fee of almost 52 thousand euros to participate in this programme.

Attending the event was also ODIMM director general Iulia Iabanji. She said being part of the European Neighbourhood Policy, under the appropriate legal basis for participation in EU programmes, Moldova was eligible for all COSME’s tools, excepting financial ones. “As the participation agreement in this programme has already been signed by the Moldovan government, SMEs are now in charge of implementing it and using its benefits,” Iabanji noted.   

The ODIMM director also said COSME was a unique opportunity to promote the competitiveness of Moldovan enterprises, offering them access to funds and framework conditions to launch and develop new businesses. COSME aims to enhance cooperation in the international industry, educate and develop the entrepreneurial spirit and internationalize enterprises through the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN). In this context, ODIMM and its partners, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Moldovan Agency for Innovation and Technology Transfer and the Technology Transfer Network, help Moldovan SMEs get access to EEN’s funds and find investment partners.

COSME is a financial support tool of the European Commission, designed to back competitiveness. Its budget accounts to 2.3 billion euros and is to be implemented over a period of six years. It offers support to 39 thousand enterprises from all over Europe, which could help create or keep 29,500 jobs and annually launch 900 new products, services or processes.

Moldova signed the COSME participation agreement for 2014-2020 in September 2014. Moldova has already paid its participation fee for 2014-2015. Authorities are currently searching for financial resources to pay the participation fee for 2016.

(Reporter A. Mardare, Editor M. Jantovan)