The Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment announces measures during the state of emergency for the national programmes being implemented

The Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment has adopted, through a Ministerial Order published in the Official Gazette, measures for the duration of the state of emergency, in the context of the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, to support the SME beneficiaries of the national programmes for the establishment and development of small and medium-sized enterprises run by MEEMA.

“We continue to work to find the most effective measures for the Romanian business environment, always keeping in mind what will follow after this crisis. Companies need fiscal relaxation during this period, which is why we have proposed these concrete economic measures for the beneficiaries of our programmes who are affected by the crisis generated by the new coronavirus. The economy will have to be restarted, reset and adapted to the new requirements. We are in constant dialogue with representatives of the business environment in order to minimise the negative effects caused by the pandemic crisis,” said Virgil-Daniel Popescu, Minister of Economy, Energy and Business Environment.

In accordance with Order No. 803 of the Minister of Economy, Energy and Business Environment, throughout the state of emergency:

• The contractual deadlines relating to the obligations to maintain jobs are suspended, upon request;
• The programme administrator will take no steps to recover the de minimis aid granted on the grounds of the obligation to maintain jobs, subject to monitoring this indicator once the state of emergency has ended;
• The funding agreement may be amended, under the provisions it contains and within the limits of the law, by an addendum signed by both parties with an electronic signature;
• These provisions CANNOT lead to the exoneration from liability of beneficiaries who had not fulfilled their obligations by the date the state of emergency was declared.

Order of the Minister of Economy, Energy and Business Environment No. 803/26.03.2020, published in Official Gazette No. 256/27.03.2020, allows beneficiaries affected by the measures introduced by the military ordinances to benefit, during the state of emergency, from the provisions of OUG 29/2020 and OUG 30/2020, as subsequently amended and supplemented, without termination of the funding contract and recovery of the de minimis aid granted on these grounds.

To benefit from these measures, companies that are in the implementation/monitoring period of their funding contracts must take the following steps:

-Notify by e-mail the Agency for SMEs, Attracting Investment and Export Promotion (AIMMAIPE), with which they concluded the funding agreement, of the request to suspend the contractual clauses for the duration of the state of emergency.

-Request online, on the website www.prevenire.gov.ro, in the coming period, one of the types of Emergency Situation Certificate – Type 1 (blue) or Type 2 (yellow), issued by MEEMA.

-Obtain an electronic signature so that you can sign any amendments to the funding agreement.

In the coming period, MEEMA will protect applicants in the implementation or monitoring stage, as well as the partner banks, by suspending certification and monitoring visits for the duration of the state of emergency. At the same time, the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Business Environment will consider the requests of beneficiaries in the implementation stage to extend the period for submitting reimbursement files.