EUR 260 million for SME competitiveness in 2014 - Serbia to join European COSME programme next year

The EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (COSME) running from 2014 to 2020 was presented Friday (13 December 2013) in the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, at an event organized by the Economy Ministry, the SCC and the Enterprise Europe Network, it was announced on the website of the SCC.

As it was said on that occasion, this EUR 2.3 billion worth of programme consists of four components: financial instruments - guarantees and entrepreneurial capital, access to markets, improvement of business environment, and the promotion of entrepreneurship.

Of the total budget of this seven-year programme (EUR 2.3 billion), EUR 260 million is set aside for the year 2014.

The plan is to have our country join the COSME programme in January 2014 by signing an agreement with the European Commission, thus creating conditions for our institutions to participate in COSME projects from the very start. Potential COSME users are business support organization, associations of entrepreneurs, bodies of local and national authorities, financial mediators, and small and medium-sized enterprises.