Credit line for competitiveness

For the purpose of successful execution of individual projects, EBRD has ensured free consulting assistance by experts from this area to all potential beneficiaries of this credit line.

The beneficiaries can be small and medium-sized enterprises according to the EU criteria:

• Less than 250 employees,
• Income less than EUR 50 million,
• Total assets less than EUR 43 million,
• That they are mostly under private ownership.

The number of employees is an obligating condition. In terms of financial criteria, it is sufficient to meet only one of the two abovementioned criteria.

Investment incentives / grant

After successful execution of the investment project, the end-users are entitled to a grant in the amount of 15% of the loan.

A grant is provided from the Regional Support Program for the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises financed by IPA funds.
 

Loan terms are as follows:

• Maximum loan amount: EUR 1,000,000,
• VAT cannot be funded,
• Loan period: 4 to 5 years,
• Grace period: up to 2 years.

Purpose of credit line assets

Projects that will be financed by loans from this credit line are:

1. Investments in industrial facilities, equipment,
2. Investments in software, improving the company's management systems and general upgrade and modernization, all provided that and for the purpose of increased compliance with one or more Directives of the European Union in the area of environmental protection, worker safety and product quality safety.

Only new projects can be financed, meaning those projects whose realization has been initiated are not acceptable.

Consultants

The project acceptability assessment shall be performed by the Project Consultant / technical assistance provided by the EBRD.

At the end of the project, the verification consultant checks whether the goals of the EBRD credit line for competitiveness have been met, i.e. whether the project has been completed in accordance with the relevant investment plan, on which a certificate is issued, which will be a signal that the adequate incentives can be paid to the client.