Thanks to the combination of funds from the Labour Fund with those from the European Funds for Social Development Programme, the total pool of funds for the Governmental Programme “First Business - Start-up Support” will increase to PLN 936 million. The agreements concluded today relate to the launch of the first financial instruments related to self-employment loans planned in the FERS programme.

The programme is mainly addressed to groups who can be more active on the labour market - young people, students, school leavers, women, carers of persons with disabilities,

said the Minister for Family and Social Policy, Marlena Maląg.

Attractive loans

The programme assumes a significant increase in coverage, as a wider target group will be supported than before.

Working people whose average monthly income over the last three months has not exceeded the average wage will also be able to apply for self-employment loans.

Loans are provided on favourable terms, up to PLN 134 thousand without any required own contribution, at low interest rates and a seven-year repayment period, with a possibility of partial cancellation of up to PLN 40 thousand for unemployed people and carers of persons with disabilities.

Confirming a very good situation on our labour market, manifested by a low registered unemployment rate of only 5.5 per cent in February, Minister Maląg pointed out that one of the main recipients of activation measures should be young people entering the labour market.

For 7 thousand people

We want to reach out with the support to those who want to start their own business, have a good idea, but lack sources of funding,

said the Minister for Development Funds and Regional Policy, Grzegorz Puda.

As he added:

The support will also make it possible for working people with lower income, who have so far been unable to benefit from this form of assistance, to apply for self-employment loans. Moreover, unemployed persons benefiting from a loan under the FERS project will be able to apply for partial redemption of the loan. We hope that the first loans will be granted still in this semester. We estimate that nearly 7 thousand people will benefit from the funding.

Minister Puda expressed the hope that cooperation with the Ministry of Family and Social Policy would continue to develop. The objectives of the European Funds for Social Development 2021-2027 Programme include the provision of childcare and the development of social services and the social economy.

We have signed an agreement through which funds from the European Social Fund + will support and increase the budget of the Governmental Programme “First Business - Start-up Support”, which has been successfully implemented for years. We will allocate the amount of 674 million for this purpose. This is the first of four financial instruments planned in the FERS programme for 2021-2027,

Minister Grzegorz Puda stressed.

Important elements

The mission of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego is to support the socio-economic development of the country,

said Tomasz Robaczyński, Member of the BGK Management Board. He stressed that both elements must coexist equally, as one cannot be achieved without the other.

He added that support initiatives addressed to  natural persons, smaller businesses, social economy entities or untended for lifelong learning are valuable.