On 27 July, the presentation of applications for subsidized loans provided for by the Decreto Maeci relating to the “Discipline of financial instruments in support of the internationalization of companies, based on the revolving fund 394/81” began.
Published in the Official Gazette on 15 July, the decree makes use of a fund managed by Simest dedicated to subsidized loans for the international development of Italian companies. Six facilitation lines are envisaged, including participation in international fairs and events, also in digital format.
The decree was adopted by the Maeci to update the instrument on the basis of the evolved regulatory context and guarantee the full operation of the Fund and the use of the resources allocated for the five-year period 2022-2026. The Fund had in fact been refinanced by the 2022 Budget Law for a total of 7.5 billion (1.5 billion for each of the years from 2022 to 2026).
Decreto Maeci in detail
The decree establishes the terms, methods and conditions of the financial concessions granted under the Fund:
Access criteria. The general access criteria are established, such as the legal registration of companies in the register, compliance with contributions and the absence of pending lawsuits or disqualification sanctions. It also provides for the possibility of benefiting from the subsidized interventions both individually and in groups, through an aggregation of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, established through the signing of a network contract.
Facilitative interventions. It provides for the exclusion from subsidized interventions of aid for activities related to exports to third countries or EU Member States, as well as aid directly linked to the quantities exported, to the establishment and management of a distribution network or to other current expenses connected to the ‘export. The facilitation lines eligible under the Decreto Maeci are market entry, digital or ecological transition, fairs and events, e-commerce, certifications and consultancy and the temporary manager.
Participation in demonstrations
Fairs and events. The interventions concern the financing of expenses for participation in trade fairs, exhibitions, events and entrepreneurial or systemic missions, of an international nature, including virtual ones, for the realization of promotional initiatives for goods and/or services produced in Italy or with Italian. Furthermore, the subsidized intervention can also be granted for participation in events, always of an international nature, in Italy, such as fairs, exhibitions, business or system missions. Companies that have filed at least one balance sheet relating to a complete year with the register of companies can participate in the subsidy.
Decreto Maeci: extent of the concessions. It is envisaged that these interventions can cover up to 110% of the eligible expenses, identified for each subsidy line by the operating circulars.
Furthermore, a collaboration with the banking system has also been defined – within the scope of operations under the Fund – to facilitate access by companies to subsidized interventions. The banks adhering to the agreement will have the task of supporting the beneficiaries in all the individual phases of the process, from access to the management and monitoring of subsidized interventions.
On the Simest website (https://www.simest.it/per-le-imprese/finanziamenti-agevolati-pnrr/pmi-fiere-mostre/) all the operating circulars are available which, for each line of subsidies, define the methods for granting subsidized interventions, the procedural aspects connected with the management of the interventions, the interest rate of the loan, the minimum and maximum amounts of the interventions, the duration and the individual eligible expenditure items as well as any further indications.