Thanks to the combination of the funds from the Labour Fund with the funds from the European Funds for Social Development Programme, the total pool of funds for the Government Programme entitled „First Business – Start-up support” will increase to PLN 936 million. The agreements concluded today concern the launch of the first financial instruments from among those planned in the FERS programme, regarding loans for self-employment.

The programme is addressed mainly to groups which can show more activity in the labour market – young people, students, graduates, women, carers of persons with disabilities – said Minister Marlena Maląg.

Favourable loans

The programme provides for a significant increase in coverage, since the support will cover a wider target group than before.

Loans for self-employment will also be available to employed persons whose average monthly income from the last 3 months did not exceed the average salary.

Loans are granted on favourable terms, up to PLN 134 thousand without the required own contribution with a low interest rate and a 7-year repayment period, with the possibility of partial redemption up to PLN 40 thousand for unemployed persons and carers of persons with disabilities.

Minister Maląg, confirming the very good situation in our labour market, manifested by the low registered unemployment rate, amounting to only 5.5% in February, pointed out that one of the main beneficiaries of activation measures should be young people entering the labour market.

For 7 thousand persons

We want to reach those who want to start their own business, have a good idea, but lack the sources of financing” – said Grzegorz Puda, Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy.

As he added, “the support will also allow working persons with lower income, who have not been able to use this form of support so dar, to apply for loans for self-employment. What is more, unemployed persons using a loan as part of the FERS project will be allowed to apply for its partial redemption. We hope that the first loans will be granted as early as this half of the year. We estimate that nearly 7 thousand persons will make use of the co-financing.”

Minister Puda expressed hope that cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Policy would continue to develop. The objectives of the European Funds for Social Development Programme 2021-2027 are, inter alia, to provide childcare and to develop social services and the social economy.

We signed an agreement thanks to which the funds from the European Social Fund+ will support and increase the budget of the Government Programme First Business – Start-up support, which has been successfully implemented for years. We will allocate PLN 674 million for this purpose. This is the first of four financial instruments planned in the FERS programme for the years 2021-2027 – stressed Minister Puda.

Important elements

The mission of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego is to support the socio-economic development of the country – said Tomasz Robaczyński, Member of the Management Board of BGK.

He stressed that both elements must co-exist on an equal footing, since it was impossible to achieve one without the other.

He added that support initiatives addressed to individuals, smaller economic entities, social economy entities or used for lifelong learning were valuable.