News - Swiss

A new program to improve access to the subway network in Bucharest supported by the Swiss contribution

The Ministry of Finance, as the National Coordination Unit for the Swiss contribution, and the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration (MDLPA) signed on Friday, December 20, 2024, the Support Measure Implementation Agreement for the "Program to improve access to the metro network in Bucharest". MDLPA will act as Program Operator and the implementation will be carried out by "Metrorex" S.A. The objective of the Program is to identify solutions to improve access to the subway in Bucharest, so that it meets the needs of all passengers, especially those with reduced mobility, as well as increasing the capacity of Metrorex S.A. to respond to the specific needs of this category of passengers and for a better intermodal integration of the metro network with other means of transport.

The program will run until December 2028 and has a budget of 13,494,761 CHF (the equivalent of 71,577,561.82 RON), out of which 9,700,000 CHF (the equivalent of 51,449,770 RON) represents the Swiss contribution.

Information regarding the implementation of the Program will be published on the websites of the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration and Metrorex.

A New Program to Support SMEs in Romania

Under the second Swiss Contribution to Romania, funding has been allocated for a new program aimed at driving the green and digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the manufacturing sector.

At the beginning of December, the Ministry of Finance, acting as the National Coordination Unit for the Swiss Contribution, signed the Implementation Agreement for the "Program for Strengthening SMEs through Improved Access to Financing" with the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism (MEAT). MEAT, as the Program Operator, will implement the initiative in collaboration with selected banking institutions.

The program will run until June 2029, providing financial support totaling 53,924,286 CHF (approximately 289 million RON), of which 70% is covered by the Swiss Contribution and 30% by MEAT through the state budget.

Interested SMEs can receive grants of up to 50,000 CHF (approximately 268,000 RON), covering a maximum of 40% of eligible investment project costs. In addition, they can access a market-advantageous bank loan covering at least 60% of the investment value.

Further details will be published on the official website: https://www.economie.gov.ro/
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MF Signs Agreement to Support SMEs: 55 Million Swiss Francs for Green and Digital Investments

The Agreement on the Support Measure "Program for Strengthening SMEs through Improved Access to Finance" was signed today by the Ministry of Finance as the National Coordination Unit and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on the Swiss side, through the Swiss Embassy in Romania.

The program, with a budget of 55,714,286 Swiss francs, will be implemented by the Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, as the Program Operator, in partnership with selected banking institutions. The program will run until September 2029, offering a broad horizon for the development and consolidation of the SME sector in Romania.

The main objective of the program is to support Romanian SMEs in the productive sector, with a focus on:
• Facilitating green and digital investments
• Improving environmental footprint
• Maintaining and creating new jobs in the manufacturing industry

The financial support offered within this program consists of a grant of up to 40% (50,000 CHF) of the eligible expenses of the investment plan proposed by an SME and a bank loan on favorable market conditions, representing at least 60% of the investment value. "I am confident that the joint efforts in developing and finalizing the Program design will lead to good and sustainable results at its end, namely at least 800 SMEs will be part of this Program, a minimum of 100 million CHF invested in digital and green technologies will enter the economy, and 800 new jobs will be created," stated Marcel-Ioan Boloș, Minister of Finance.

 

 

 

Signing of Agreement to Improve Access to Bucharest Metro Network

On September 19, 2024, the Agreement on the Support Measure "Program for Improving Access to the Bucharest Metro Network" was signed by the Ministry of Finance as the National Coordination Unit and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) on behalf of Switzerland, through the Swiss Contribution Office in Romania.

With a budget of 13,494,761 CHF, of which 9,700,000 CHF represents the Swiss contribution, the program will run until April 2029. The main objective of the program is to identify and implement solutions for improving access to the Bucharest metro, especially for people with disabilities or reduced mobility.

A study conducted through the program will examine the current situation of the metro network and propose technical solutions for improving and standardizing access to existing metro stations, adopting the "barrier-free access principle" to meet the needs of all passengers, especially those with reduced mobility. It will also suggest measures to increase Metrorex S.A.'s capacity to respond to the specific needs of this category of passengers and for better intermodal integration of the metro network with other means of transport.

By implementing the identified technical solutions and measures to facilitate passenger access, the urban public transport conditions in Bucharest for the target group will be significantly improved, thus increasing the attractiveness of the metro network.

The Program Operator is the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration (MDLPA), and the program implementation will be carried out by "Metrorex" S.A.

 

Signing of Agreement for "Civil Society Programme"

 

On 28.08.2024, the Agreement for the "Civil Society Programme" (CEP) was signed by the Romanian party, through the National Coordination Unit, and the Swiss party, through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The selected Programme Operator is the consortium formed by the Civil Society Development Foundation (FDSC - Romania) – Environmental Partnership Foundation (Romania) - KEK-CDC (Switzerland).

The Programme has a total budget of 17,850,000 CHF, with a duration of 55 months, and includes two components mainly intended for civil society (large projects and small projects), to which specific support activities (advocacy) are added. The details will be included in the guidelines for the calls launched under the programme, which will be posted on the website dedicated to the Swiss Contribution, as well as on the websites of the consortium acting as Programme Operator.

https://www.fdsc.ro/
https://www.repf.ro/ro
https://www.kek.ch/en/home