The legal framework for social entrepreneurship should be improved by working out a separate law that would envision the simplification of the process of registering and liquidating social enterprises. State support measures should be clearly defined, such as exemption from VAT, from income tax if the social enterprise works for the public benefit, says the sociologic survey “Knowledge, attitudes and behaviors in the field of social entrepreneurship in the Republic of Moldova” that was presented by Keystone Moldova.
In a news conference staged by IPN, Ludmila Malcoci, Keystone Moldova executive director, said that a methodology and assessment criteria are necessary for determining the social enterprises’ compliance with their status. A mechanism for the continuous training of entrepreneurs and persons responsible for the development of social entrepreneurship in the given areas is also needed. In the absence of such a continuous training and facilitation mechanism, it is very hard for SMEs and for the ordinary population and also for the NGOs to develop social enterprises,” explained Ludmila Malcoci.
The study also revealed the necessity of working out and implementing a nationwide communication strategy for informing the population and stakeholders about social entrepreneurship. According to the authors of the study, this communication should focus on the development of a positive attitude of the general population to social entrepreneurship. This way, the practices of citizen support for social enterprises and local public authorities’ knowledge of the benefits of social enterprises should be improved so as to create preconditions for local development.
The director of Keystone Moldova also said that the study underlined the necessity of promoting social entrepreneurship at the level of educational institutions by integrating a chapter on social entrepreneurship in the school curriculum. Another suggestion is to organize a mechanism of continuous training for social entrepreneurs, which would include business management courses. There should be staged events to ensure the exchange of experience between social entrepreneurs with the involvement of the local public authorities so as to promote the benefits of social enterprises.
The study was carried out during July-September 2022 as part of the project “Harnessing CSOs’ potential to promote and develop the social entrepreneurship in Moldova” that is financed by the European Union and co-financed by Sweden in partnership with East Europe Foundation, the Contact Center and Keystone Moldova. The project last for three years, since January 2022 until the end of 2024.
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