PARE 1+1 program remains popular with potential beneficiaries

The Organization for the Development of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (ODIMM) received 46 new applications for participation in the PARE 1+1 Program for Attracting Investments to the National Economy, Info-Prim Neo reports, quoting the organizations’ head Iulia Iabanji. On January 30, the program was extended until 2015 after being implemented as a pilot-program in 2010-2012. Iulia Iabanji said the ODIMM already held two ten-day training courses for applicants, the training in organizing a business being a condition for participation in the program. The beneficiaries of the PARE 1+1 program receive grants of up to 200 million lei based on the 1+1 formula, according to which the state provides one leu for every leu invested in economy from remittances. A sum of 32 million lei was allocated this year for supporting the program, by 10 million lei more than in 2010-2012 (22m lei). The resources are provided by the European Union within the matrix of policies for implementing the budget support program “Economic stimulation in rural areas”. The applications for participating in PARE 1+1 can be submitted by March 15. “We will analyze thoroughly all the proposed projects, will calculate the size of the available grants and will announce a new call for project proposals this year, based on the results. There are about 50 projects proposed last year, which could not be supported because there wasn’t enough money. We will examine them this year,” said Iulia Iabanji. In 2010-2012, ODIMM, which manages this program, accepted 142 investment projects put forward by migrants and their relatives of the first degree. The grants provided totaled 22 million lei, but the investments in these projects exceeded 76 million lei. This is every leu allocated within the program attracted about 3 lei into the national economy.