The European Commission approved on Wednesday 8 July an Italian €6.2 billion scheme to support small businesses and self-employed workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Under this scheme, public support will take the form of direct grants. The scheme is open to small enterprises and self-employed persons active in all sectors except the financial sector and public administration.
The amount of individual aid will be calculated as a percentage of the difference between the turnover achieved by the eligible beneficiaries in April 2020 and the turnover achieved in April 2019 (with a minimum of €1,000 for individuals and €2,000 for companies).
The purpose of the scheme is to alleviate the liquidity constraints faced by businesses and self-employed persons and thereby help them to continue their activities. 2.6 million small businesses and the self-employed are expected to benefit from this measure.
The amount of aid per company will not exceed €100,000 per company active in the primary production of agricultural products, €120,000 per company active in the fisheries and aquaculture sector and €800,000 per company active in all other sectors, as provided for in the Temporary Framework. The aid will only be granted until 31 December 2020. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)