The Ministry of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade (MIET) today launched the compatible grant scheme under the “Competitiveness and Export Readiness Project” financed by a soft loan from the World Bank.
In launching this scheme, the Minister of Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Mrs. Rozeta Hajdari, said that through the "Competitiveness and Export Readiness Project" in the amount of 14.3 million euros with financing through soft loans from the World Bank, aims to support local enterprises.
"Out of this total of 14.3 million euros, close to 10 million euros have been allocated for support to businesses, newly negotiated with the World Bank, exactly at the time when the pandemic appeared in March 2020, when we as Government Kurti 1, had difficulties with limited financial resources to respond to the private sector. Therefore, we have renegotiated this soft loan with the World Bank, in order to bring grants in the amount of 10 million euros exactly for our enterprises ", the Minister emphasized.
Minister Hajdari has announced that these grants aim to increase competitiveness and export capability by improving the quality of business products and efficiency in production, processing and service.
“We are now launching the Compatible Grants Program and this program is one of the sub-competencies of the Competitiveness and Export Readiness project financed through soft loans from the World Bank. The main objective is to support micro, small and medium enterprises with export potential to meet the requirements for the implementation of standards and certification of products required for export markets, as well as to purchase equipment, production machinery, to increase the capabilities for export readiness, as well as to purchase equipment used for conformity assessment bodies", said Minister Hajdari.
According to her, this grant also aims to support access to business service developments in training, as well as to support small devices for digital improvement.
"What is important to mention, that it will be funded, is to facilitate access to knowledge of critical areas to respond to the pandemic such as: improving e-commerce capability. Therefore, the grant aims to support businesses in digitalization, in the implementation of standards and results in the certification of products with relevant standards ", emphasized Minister Hajdari.
While, Blerta Qerimi, representative of the World Bank and project manager, said that this project is important in the readiness of companies for export. She said that the purpose of the grant is to improve the environment for doing business and at the same time the support that will be provided with grants to micro, small and medium enterprises.
