The Ministry of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEDAT) is proposing a revision of the selection criteria for access to the de minimis state aid scheme aimed at supporting tourism companies' participation in international trade fairs, in order to ensure a more relevant and competitive representation of Romania on foreign markets.
The ministry has published for public consultation a draft order amending Order No. 330/2023, which governs the de minimis aid scheme.
"Until now, selection for participation in international tourism fairs worked in practice according to a simple principle: whoever sent the first email secured a place. Such a mechanism cannot deliver real results for promoting Romania, so we are changing the philosophy. From 'first come' to 'most suitable'. We are introducing measurable criteria, a two-stage evaluation and a points-based system precisely to remove arbitrariness from a process that must be transparent, predictable and performance-oriented," Minister of Economy, Digitalisation, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Radu Miruta was quoted as saying in a ministry press release.
According to the draft order, participant evaluation will be conducted by an annually appointed committee of stand coordinators and will take place in two stages: an initial eligibility check followed by points-based selection.
The first stage will assess compliance with eligibility criteria, which are eliminatory in nature, including possession of a tourism licence or classification certificate, no outstanding debts to the state budget, absence of insolvency or suspended activity, adherence to the de minimis aid ceiling over the past three years, and no sanctions for failing to attend trade fairs after signing funding agreements.
In the second stage, eligible companies will be ranked according to a scoring system reflecting their performance and capacity to promote internationally. Criteria include the number of foreign tourists attracted in the past 12 months, the share of tourists from the host country of the trade fair, international promotional activity, levels of innovation and digitalisation, and the professional experience and specialisation of the company's representative.
In addition, the draft order provides for clarification of the method for granting de minimis aid and of the evaluation process, as well as improvements to administrative mechanisms, in order to ensure more efficient and transparent implementation of the scheme.
Proposals, suggestions and opinions may be submitted within ten days of its publication.
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