Expert-Grup

Declaration of the National Platform on the Need for Additional Measures to Support SMEs in the COVID-19 Crisis

ActivitateThursday, 25 February 20212273 views
Declaration of the National Platform on the Need for Additional Measures to Support SMEs in the COVID-19 Crisis

Automatically translated summary. The full article is available in Romanian.

Member organisations of the Moldovan National Platform of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum have issued a declaration calling for additional support for small and medium-sized enterprises. They argue that the COVID-19 pandemic and natural risk factors in 2020 caused the biggest shock to Moldova's economy in two decades.

The declaration notes that GDP fell by 8.2% in January–September 2020. SMEs were hit hardest, contributing 85.9% of value added in trade, transport and HoReCa. Only a third had enough liquidity for three months, and just 12% had access to external financing. In November 2020, firms with up to 20 employees reported a 34.3% drop in turnover, yet only 1.9% of them received or expected state aid, against 5.9% overall. A survey found 71% of SMEs dissatisfied with the Government's measures, which were largely indirect.

The signatories call for easier access to liquidity, greater capitalisation of the ODIMM credit guarantee fund, cash-basis VAT for small businesses, and support for digitalisation and e-commerce. They also seek simplified rules for small and family enterprises in the Fiscal and Labour Codes, backing for high-growth firms and local suppliers, and fewer administrative barriers to state support.

View the original article in Romanian