On 5 December, the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Moldova announced 45 business grant beneficiaries, with a total value of 12.2 million lei (around €2.5 million). The support to local entrepreneurs will be provided through the Organisation for Entrepreneurship Development (ODA).
Of these, 24 companies will receive funding from the European Union, totaling nearly 5.5 million lei, while the Government of the Republic of Moldova will support another 21 companies with a total of 6.7 million lei.
At the event announcing the grants, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalisation, Dumitru Alaiba, said: “Entrepreneurs are the ones who believe in our country and act as champions of reforms and European integration. They have seamlessly integrated digitalisation into their businesses, making them competitive and valuable.”
“We are glad to acknowledge the constant increase of the number of quality applications for the national SME programmes supported by the EU and the growing number of business companies benefitting from these programmes. The EU will continue to support SMEs as a key driving force for a stronger economy of Moldova, which is an important pillar of the newly proposed EU-Moldova Growth Plan facility,” said Adam Grodzicki, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to the Republic of Moldova.
The grants are distributed through various programmes managed by ODA, including the Women’s Entrepreneurship Support Programme, START for Youth Programme, PARE 1+2 Programme, SME Digital Transformation Programme, and the SME Greening Programme.
The largest investments are allocated to the industrial sector, with approximately 50% of the beneficiaries coming from this field. Another 30% of entrepreneurs will invest in acquiring technical resources for developing the services sector, such as professional, scientific, technical activities, accommodation, public catering, and education. Approximately 20% of the beneficiaries operate in the agricultural sector, directing funds toward business modernisation and greening.
