BELGRADE (Serbia), April 27 (SeeNews) – Serbia's economy ministry has said it plans to provide up to 556 million dinars ($5.7 million/4.7 million euro) of grants this year to co-finance the acquisition of machines and equipment by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
SMEs will be able to apply for a grant of up to 5 million dinars per company even if they had received a similar grant in the past, the economy ministry said in a statement earlier this week.
The grants will cover up to 25% of the cost of the investment project, 70% will be financed with the proceeds of loans lent by partners Banka Postanska Stedionica, Credit Agricole, Halkbank, Eurobank, ProCredit Bank or Raiffeisen Leasing, and 5% will be self-financing, the ministry said.
In 2017, the economy ministry received 425 applications for grants under the scheme and approved 396 of them. A total of 1,630 jobs are expected to be opened in the next two years as a result of the projects financed in 2017, the ministry said.
(1 euro = 117.960 dinars)