Press releases

Companies in the Republic of Moldova that will capitalise on their products on external markets will be supported by a new State Programme. Today, the Organisation for the Development of the Small and Medium Enterprises Sector (ODIMM) launched the “Support Programme for SHMMs with high potential for growth and internationalisation”, through which they will be able to access grants of up to lei 2 million for the implementation of international practices to increase productivity and competitiveness.

The Programme’s online launch event was attended by representatives of business, central and local public authorities and representatives of international partner development organisations.

Present at the event, the Minister for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure, Sergiu Răilean, stated that the COVID-19 pandemic has created serious premises to rethink the tools to stimulate economic growth in the Republic of Moldova and to support the HMM sector, and this programme aims to support entrepreneurs by facilitating access to finance, with a view to improving companies’ economic performance and adapting them to the requirements of external markets.

‘ We have strong expectations on the results of the implementation of this State Programme. The volume of investment in the national economy is expected to increase by about 180 m lei, and at least 80 % of the HMM will promote its products and services through national and international electronic platforms’.

The government programme to support businesses with a high growth and internationalisation potential will help increase the entrepreneurial skills of business development, diversify products/services on local and/or international markets for at least 1,000 local companies towards 2021.

According to the Director General ODIMM, Iulia Costin, the Programme is based on the current development needs of domestic SMEs.

‘The Programme for Growth and Internationalisation of the HEIC is a starting point for local companies to integrate into international value chains: working with new international partners, accessing new markets, diversifying export products/services, removing technical barriers to trade as well as cluster orientation. Many companies will increase their innovative potential, efficiency and quality of products and services, identify new external markets or potential business development partners’.

In the webinar, Tarik Sahovic, senior senior consultant, from the World Bank to Moldova pointed out that the international institution will continue to support the efforts of the Moldovan authorities in the field of business competitiveness.

‘The World Bank will continue to support the Chișinău government in strengthening the competitiveness of SMEs to reach external markets in view of both the need for support under the adverse conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on the business and the results of similar World Bank-funded projects. As an example, the CEP project demonstrated the need to invest in companies with export potential, thus a dollar invested as co-financing for exporting companies generated someca. USD 9 in export sales is a remarkable result to be replicated by other support projects’.

The contribution of the European Union to the development of the support instrument was to provide expertise and advice through the project “Quality Infrastructure in the context of the DCFTA”.

Gintautas Baranauskas, Deputy Head of the Operations Section, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, welcomed the launch of the new programme that meets the needs of supporting SMEs with a certain successful history and are able and willing to innovate and grow, including through access to external markets.

The Programme may participate in the LMMs that have been active on the market for at least 2 years, demonstrate continuous growth and plan to expand into new outlets or to substitute imports of products or services into the Republic of Moldova.

Under the Programme, the HEIs will benefit from: information and advisory support, assistance and financial support in the form of “Business vouchers” of up to lei 50.000 and Guarantees up to lei 2 million.

The implementing of the Programme is the Organisation for the Development of Sector of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, in coordination with the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure. This support instrument will run for a 36-month piloting period, for the implementation of which they are provided for in the State budget. Lei 40 million.

Companies interested in entering the Programme can do so online by filling in the form from the website http://survey.odimm.md/pci/

For further information about the Programme see page