Helping SMEs to learn about finance
The European Commission, DG XXIII, has recently published a call for proposals to improve small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) knowledge of the financial instruments available to them. The European Commission is trying to improve the financial environment for SMEs, which often suffer from having weak financial structures. It hopes that financial engineering instruments will assist SMEs and in turn promote their potential for creating jobs throughout the European Union. The Commission is therefore interested in promoting the use of mutual guarantee schemes, and plans to co-finance up to 50% of the operating costs of projects that match up with its objectives. In most cases, the co-financing will be limited to one year, and proposals must cover the dissemination of relevant information to SMEs using seminars and/or any other means of communication. Any proposals should also describe how projects would implement the exchange of good practice in the field of mutual guarantee schemes. For further information, including the terms and conditions for this call and the grant application form, please write to: European Commission Directorate General XXIII Unit B/3 - Access to finance 200 rue de la Loi (G-1 1/48) B-1049 Brussels Fax +32-2-2952154