New IMM Invest Plus programme to kick off next week

A new programme devoted to SMEs called IMM Invest Plus starts next week, with subsidised interest rates and consistent credits, both for investments and for working capital, president of the National Council for Small and Medium-Sized Private Enterprises of Romania (CNIPMMR) Florin Jianu said at the "European Funds for SMEs 2021-2027" event.

According to a press release from CNIPMMR sent to AGERPRES, the most important financing programmes dedicated to SMEs at the regional and national level were promoted and presented during the debate, such as IMM Invest Plus, IMM Prod, Garant Construct, Start-up Nation, the Micro-industrialisation Programme, IMM Recover and other projects for SMEs in the area of digitisation, digital transformation, smart specialisation or internationalisation.

"This year, FNGCIMM [the National Loan Guarantee Fund for SMEs] granted more than 50,000 guarantees, the vast majority coming from IMM Invest, a programme that ended at the end of June, and next week a new programme called IMM Invest Plus will start, where the interest will be subsidised, and credits are consistent, both for investments and for working capital. Regarding the national programmes, we saw at Start-up Nation that there is still demand, which is why it must be continued and supported through adequate public communication, because this programme represents the gateway to the economy for young entrepreneurs. In conclusion, I should mention that Romania's partnership agreement is already accepted by the European Commission, things are on a right, professional track, and our wish would be to start the calls this winter, so that there should be no period in which the European funds, so necessary and useful, are not present in the economy, which is why we expect a simplification and an enhanced pro-implementation approach, and in the next period we will come up with concrete proposals in this regard," said Florin Jianu, told Agerpres.

The National Council of SMEs of Romania, in partnership with the Prahova County SMEs Employers' Association and with the support of BCR (the Romanian Commercial Bank), organised the event "European Funds for SMEs 2021-2027" in Ploiesti on Thursday.

The event, now in its 7th edition, is part of the "Invest in" series, a programme to promote financing and development opportunities at the regional level aimed at improving the business environment in Romania's regions.