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What types of support does EU offer to SMEs to withstand the crisis?
Through its EU4Business Initiative, EU is supporting small and medium businesses (SMEs) in the following 2 areas:
Business support services
advisory and learning opportunities, including sectoral education programmes, online trainings and consultations from reputable experts
Access to finance
special credit terms in partnership with selected Belarusian banks, as well as grants for SMEs in certain business sectors
Where can I get a credit or a loan?
JSC Belinvestbank
Read more
Belarusky Narodny Bank
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Where can I get advice for my business?
SMEs can find out about state programs for support of entrepreneurship. There are links to business support centers to receive free consultations, explanation of legislation, practical advice and ways to get financing for your business.
Free consultations for those who want to create their own business in Belarus. Confederation also conducts surveys among entrepreneurs and sends suggestions and comments on the development of private business to the authorities.
BelCCI supports business in the foreign economic sphere. Recently, it began conducting online streams to overcome the downturn in business activity and restore it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
SMEs can find forms of necessary documents, explanations of where and when to file tax returns, taxes, etc. There are hyperlinks where you can find out if your partner is on the list of bankrupt or tax debtors.
A public association that helps in developing small, medium and large private businesses. Submits proposals for improving the business to the official authorities of the country.
It unites representatives of business, experts, economists, lawyers, and auditors who promote entrepreneurship support programs and reforms, organize joint meetings of business and government officials.
One of the possible platforms for selling goods. The site also offers an algorithm of actions: where to start bidding.
A comprehensive program of supporting small and medium-sized entreprises with business advice to improve their performance and growth.
State support service for small businesses. The fund can provide a loan, as well as guarantees for soft loans.
Trade news, comments from government agencies, clarifications of the law, announcements of telephone lines with the minister.
The Women in Business programme helps women-led small and medium-sized enterprises to access finance and know-how they need to grow.

What help is available from my government?
The Government of Belarus is taking measures to battle the outcomes of the economic lockdown and respond to challenges that all businesses, especially SMEs are facing.
Immediate fiscal impulse
  • Employers may obtain subsidies for wage supplement up to the minimum wage to their employees in the event of their involuntary part-time employment or downtime from May 1 to July 31, 20207. Subsidies also may be provided for payment of dues to the state Social Protection Fund. The decision on the provision of subsidies will be made by the local authorities, while money would be disbursed by the Social Protection Fund.

    The decision on the provision of subsidies will be made by the local authorities, while money would be disbursed by the Social Protection Fund. It is not possible to apply online. However, the Ministry of Labour and Social protection has developed an action algorithm and sample documents for provision of subsidies and posted themon the website

Deferrals
  • Taxation
    • Local authorities have the right to defer a payment of taxes (payable from April 1 to September 30, 2020), fully paid to the local budgets, as well as rents for state-owned land plots or they can provide a tax credit.

      Deferred payments, tax credit will be paid monthly in equal installments from October 1 to December 31, 2020. Local authority also have the right to defer a payment of land tax, property tax, tax under simplified taxation system payable to local budgets from April 1, 2020 till September 30, 2020.

      This support can be provided for companies from industries most hit by coronavirus. The list of industries are given in the Annex to the Presidential Decree № 143.

  • How to apply:

    It is not possible to apply online. However, the local authiorities put the comments to the Decree on the websites, explaining application procedure of request for deferral, e.g.:

  • Reduced period for returning from the budget the difference between the amount of tax deductions and the total amount of VAT for companies from industries most hit by coronovirus. In Brest oblast, single tax rates for individual entrepreneurs and self-employed citizens were reduced by half in April-September. The list of industries are given in the Annex to the Presidential Decree № 143. The Decree is available at.
  • Lease payment holidays moratorium on increasing rent for companies from industries most hit by coronovirus. The list of the industries are given in the Annex to the Presidential Decree № 143. The Decree is available at .
Other liquidity measures:
  • Belarussian Government allowed not to depreciate fixed assets for the period from January 1 till December 31, 2020.

This information is based on information from publicly available websites on 22 May, 2020. EU4Business is not responsible for accuracy and continued availability of these facilities.

Do any EU4Business projects give grants for SMEs?

Grants for SMEs are available through the following programme.

LED – Local Economic Development in Belarus.
The objective of the project is to promote social enterprises as catalyst for local development and to ensure they can be sustainable parts of the local, national and regional economies.
Valid until 31.07.2023 with total budget for grants € 5 775 000. Read more

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