Bulgaria economy minister signs agreement on new OP SME Initiative

03/03/16 07:41
(http://www.klassa.bg/)

Bulgaria economy minister signs agreement on new OP SME Initiative

Bulgarian Minister of Economy Bozhidar Lukarski signed Wednesday an agreement with the European Commission (EC), the European Investment Fund (EIF), and the European Investment Bank (EIB) on the new OP SME Initiative.
The programme was drawn up in compliance with the application of the SME Initiative in Europe and aims at improving the conditions under which loans are granted to SMEs through the use of financial instruments.
Bulgaria is the third country in the EU after Spain and Malta that will provide financial resources for SMEs through such instruments.
The budget of the new operational programme is estimated at EUR 102 million.
The ceremony dedicated to the signing of the agreement was also attended by Tomislav Donchev, Deputy Prime Minister for EU Funds and Economic Policies, Walter Deffaa, Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy, EIF Chief Executive Pier Luigi Gilibert, and Flavia Palanza, Director of the Central and South Eastern Europe Department of the EIB.
The official ceremony took place at the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers building in the capital Sofia.
“I hope SMEs in Bulgaria will have access to the capital under OP SME Initiative at the beginning of autumn,” said Bozhidar Lukarski, speaking at the event.
“Today is indeed an important day for SMEs in Bulgaria as we hope, on the one hand, to help them through the signing of the agreement and, on the other hand, to achieve a strong economic growth. This is another instrument the government avails of to achieve what we started doing at the beginning of our mandate,” the minister pointed out.
He added it was expected the programme would be of significant help for entrepreneurs, providing fresh financial resources.
“We have firmer guarantees in the person of the EIB and the EIF compared to previous such financial instruments. We expect the price of this financing to be significantly lower. It is all a result of the desire of SMEs and companies in the segment to have greater access to capitals and takes into account the EU’s SME Initiative,” the official commented.
Lukarski remarked Bulgaria was among the pioneers in the EU in joining this kind of initiative.
“We are the third country in the EU after Spain and Malta and the instrument for financing is estimated at EUR 102 million. I am stressing these are only resources of the European Commission and the European Regional Development Fund and do not include co-financing,” the official remarked.
“We expect a sixfold multiplying effect reaching a size of loans granted to SMEs EUR 600 million. This is one of the initiatives we hope will stir financial resources in banks in line with the Investment Plan for Europe,” Bozhidar Lukarski stated.
“We truly hope our National Assembly will ratify this agreement faster to that SMEs in Bulgaria have access to these capitals at the beginning of autumn,” the official commented.

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Публикувана на 03/03/16 07:41 http://www.klassa.bg/News/Read/article/264872_Bulgaria+economy+minister+signs+agreement+on+new+OP+SME+Initiative