If you have a company based in Barcelona this information may be interesting for you.
Last 26th September 2013 a new Order of the Business and Employment Department was published in the Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia: Order 223/2013.
This order has one goal: to facilitate the financing of companies based in Catalonia in order to relaunch the industrial activity in the territory, especially in those regions where the unemployment is above the average or where there has been an industry relocation affecting more than 100 workers.
1.- Which companies can request the aid?
To benefit from this aid, your company should have its registered office or business address in Catalonia and meet the following requirements:
a) To have no less than 40% of own equity instruments in the most recent balance sheet closed, or upon the execution of the operation (with exclusion of the loan for the promotion of industrial activity);
b) To have a production centre of at least 250 workers with a turnover of at least 40 million euros in the last financial year;
c) To be able to provide evidence of a percentage of international sales higher than 25% (during the last three financial years on a continuous basis or at least in two out of the last three financial years);
d) To have a competitive advantage, based on a patent or a R&D project developed recently or being currently developed in collaboration with a technological centre in Catalonia;
e) To have signed contracts and orders in order to finance the working capital;
f) To promote an investment and employment project in a region of Catalonia where unemployment rate in the industry sector is higher than the average or where there has been an industry relocation affecting more than 100 workers;
g) To fulfill the general requirements of the Article 2.3 of the Order.
2.- Which companies are excluded?
Your company cannot obtain the aid if it operates in one of the following sectors or if it has already been granted with an aid to buy goods road transport vehicles when carrying out, on behalf of another, road transport of goods:
a) fishing and agricultural sectors that are regulated by the Council of the European Union regulation (EC) No. 838/2005; or
b) the primary production of agricultural products listed in Annex I to the Treaty establishing the European Union; or
c) the coal sector.
3.- Which projects can be financed?
The only projects that will be financed according to this new Order are: investment projects to establish new industrial establishments or to expand the existing ones, only if new jobs are created with the project, and plans to improve competitiveness, whether by developing new products or by incorporating advanced production systems, only if the plan contributes to relaunching industry and generates net jobs.
4.- How to apply and deadline for applications
If you have not already submitted your application and the budget has not expired yet, you can still request the government aid for the relaunch and financing of Industrial Projects in Catalonia. You should hurry, since the deadline for applications is on the 31st December of this year.
If you fulfill all the requirements and you are interested in obtaining this aid, you should apply:
a) Either through Finempresa website (www.finempresa.cat), together with the documents of the Appendix 6 of the Order. Once you make the online application you should print it, sign it and submit it, within the time period mentioned above, at the Industry Authority of the Government of Catalonia (Direcció General d’Indústria de la Generalitat de Catalunya) in Paseo de Gracia, 129, 08008 or in one of the Offices for Business Management (Oficines de Gestió Empresarial);
b) Or process the application by any of the means established in article 38.4 of Law 30/1992, of 26 November, on the legal provisions governing Public Administrations and common administrative procedure.
Once you apply the Industry Authority of the Government of Catalonia (Direcció General d’Indústria de la Generalitat de Catalunya) will decide if you fulfill all the requirements and, if there is still budget, will grant you the aid.
The granting of the aid will be published in the Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia and will also be able on the Business and Employment Department website (http://www20.gencat.cat/portal/site/empresaiocupacio).
Santiago Nadal / Marta Codony
