Brussels, 25/06/2013 (Agence Europe) - The information portal on European Union funding instruments has been expanded to include European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) and the European Social Fund (ESF), as a way of facilitating SMEs' access to funding in Europe (information about guarantees, loans and venture capital). The European Commission made this announcement on Tuesday 25 June. The European commissioner for industry, Antonio Tajani, and his counterpart responsible for regional development, Johannes Hahn, welcomed this initiative, which they said would help remove some of the barriers facing companies. They added that “we also want to encourage member states and regions to use EU financial instruments since they can enhance the impact of cohesion policy. They are catalysts for crucial investments needed to provide a vital boost to the European economy and create jobs”.
See: http://europa.eu/youreurope/business/finance-support/access-to-finance (MD/transl.fl)