Events

The Republic of Moldova can be greened through green business. Today, the Conference launching the National Greening Programme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises was held to inform the business community on how to access state support to help companies plan and implement environmentally friendly practices and expand to other markets.

“We all want businesses to grow in line with Sustainable Development Goals, especially environmental goals, so that economic activity evolves in harmony with the environment. I encourage and support MSMEs in the country who want to have an environmentally friendly process, produce and provide eco services. I urge entrepreneurs to turn environmental challenges into new business opportunities’stated the Minister for Economic Affairs and Infrastructure, Sergiu Răilean.

The National Programme for the Greening of MSMEs provides information support, advice and mentoring, training and environmental training. The programme will also focus on research and development, promotion; exchange of best practices at national and European level in the field of application of the principles of green and circular economy. A separate compartment is reserved for funding not refundable by actions to green HLF and develop capacities to access and expand into other markets.

“With this tool we want to inspire and support as many businesses as possible in the implementation of greening actions, implementation of standards ISO/EMAS and/or Eco-labellinguse of green technologies and innovations. ODSMEs through managed programmes encourage and support small and medium-sized enterprises in automating production processes, planning and implementing environmentally friendly practices. We are confident that the domestic business environment in the future will be able to offer high value-added and eco products on foreign markets at competitive prices and of high quality. Only together we can build a sustainable economy’stressed the Director General of ODIMM, Iulia Costin.

The HMM will be supported in 3 steps

1) milestone 1 – Training and training in the greening of SMEs — support will be made available to SMUs interested in developing and implementing business greening measures.

2) step 2 – Funding for greening of low value HLF — MSMEs that have developed an action plan to green their business will be financially supported by providing grants for up to RON 200 000 this will constitute up to 70 % of the value of the investment project.

3) step 3 – Funding of large underlying shares — vhowever, MSMEs that have implemented actions to green their business and already have some experience in exporting and internationalising their products and/or services, demonstrate the anticipated benefits of ISO/EMAS standards and/or EU Ecolabel in their companies by providing a grant of until RON 500 000 this will constitute up to 50 % of the value of the investment project.

The event gathered more than 300 representatives from business, central and local public authorities, academia, business and environmental support institutions/organisations, and international development partner organisations.

Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises account for about 64 % of global industrial pollution, while only 16 % are committed to environmental action, according to international statistics. In this respect, a number of tools and best practices are being implemented in the Member States of the European Union to encourage ‘greening’ of the HMM. They have been analysed and taken over in drawing up the National Programme for the Greening of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises – EcoÎMM, with the aim of align the Moldovan business environment with the principles of a green economy by adopting a responsible model of sustainable development.

The Eco ÎMM programme was approved by the Government of the Republic of Moldova and is implemented by the Organisation for the Development of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector in coordination with the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure. The implementation of the actions of the EcoÎMM Programme shall be financed from the State budget of the Republic of Moldova and supported through the EU4Environment Project, funded by the European Union.

In order to be able to obtain support under this programme, the applicant must be a legal entity, registered in accordance with the Law on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, demonstrate the need for greening the business and the positive impact on the environment, operate on the territory of the Republic of Moldova and own products or services resulting from their own entrepreneurial activity.

Companies interested in registering for the Programme can do so online by filling in the form from the website https://bit.ly/2XWPT2X

For more information about the programme, see: www.odimm.md/ecoimm

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