Subsidizing existing businesses affected by the pandemic, in areas that suffered major natural disasters

The programme

The Action aims to ensure sufficient liquidity in existing  businesses affected by the pandemic, in areas that have suffered major natural disasters, as well as to maintain the continuity of economic activity during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.

The grant provided by the Action will help to ensure part of the liquidity required for there-start   of local economic activities, as well as to ensure the continuation of the operation of businesses, indirectly supporting the preservation of jobs.

Who it concerns

The Action applies to businesses, regardless of their legal form, that are legally operating and active in the disaster-affected areas.

Beneficiaries of the Action must, inter alia, meet the following conditions:

• Submit one Funding Application per Tax ID for all the facilities they own.
• They must have started business at the competent tax office by 31.12.2021.
• Operate (head office or branch or other establishment) in the following areas affected by natural disasters and in a place distinct from their home for which they are applying for aid:

- Municipality of Mantoudi-Limni-Agia Anna, (Prefecture of Evia)
- Municipality of Istiaiaia-Aidipsou (Prefecture of Evia)
- Municipal Unit of Arkalochori in the Municipality of Minoa-Pediados (Heraklion Prefecture)
- Municipal District of Damasio, in the Municipality of Tirnavos (Prefecture of Larissa)
- Municipal District of Messochori in the Municipality of Elassona (Larissa Prefecture)
- Municipalities: Amouri, Pretorio, Vlachogianniou and Magoula of the Municipal Unit Potamia of the Municipality of Elassona (Prefecture of Larissa)
- Municipal Unit of Ancient Olympia in the Municipality of Ancient Olympia (Prefecture of Ilia)
- Municipalities: Lala, Achladinis, Doukas and Nemoutas of the Municipal Unit of Fologis of the Municipality of Ancient Olympia (Prefecture of Ilia)
- Municipality of Argostoli (Prefecture of Kefalonia)
- Municipality of Lixouri (Prefecture of Kefalonia)
- Municipality of Sami (Prefecture of Kefalonia)
- Municipality of Ithaca (Prefecture of Kefalonia)
- Municipality of West Samos (Samos Prefecture)
- Municipality of Eastern Samos (Samos Prefecture)
- Municipalities: Vrissa and Stavros of the Municipal Unit of Polihnitos of the Municipality of West Lesvos (Prefecture of Lesvos)

particularly:
a) For the Municipalities of Argostoli, Lixouri, Sami and Ithaki, only those enterprises of the Regional Unit of Kefallinia and Ithaki that were affected by the "Ianos" phenomenon in September 2020 and for which the autopsy work was not completed in time by the State Aid Committees are beneficiaries Region, as the details of these businesses are certified by a document from the relevant Region.
these businesses are certified as earthquake victims and their information is confirmed by a relevant document from the relevant Region.

• To be subject to the submission of tax form E3- "STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FROM BUSINESS ACTIVITIES".
• Have, by 31.12.2021, as their main activity code or as the activity code with the highest revenue, an activity code that is not included in the non-eligibleactivity codes   of Chapter 5: "NON-SELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES" (ANNEX VIII). For businesses that started operations before 01.01.2020, the audit is based on the ID with the highest revenue, as indicated in the relevant field of Form E3 (Statement of financial data from business activity) for the tax year 2019 submitted in 2020. For businesses starting operations in 2020 or 2021, the check is based on the main activity code of either the business or the branch.
• Have by the date of publication of this Call for Proposals an active eligible ID in their establishment within the aid areas.
• Operate legally in the areas for which they will apply for support.
• Show a decrease in their 2021 turnover of at least 10% compared to their 2019 turnover. For enterprises that have started operations in 2019, the turnover of the year 2019 is compared with the turnover corresponding to an equal number of days in 2021 (total turnover 2021 divided by 365 x number of days of operation in 2019). The resulting reduction percentage is rounded to the second percentage decimal place. The condition for participation of the first paragraph of this paragraph is presumed to be met in the case of businesses starting operations within the year 2020 or within 2021, as well as in the case of businesses that in the year 2019 proved to have no income from business activity of any kind.

For businesses that have a financial year from 1 July to 30 June, the turnover for the financial years 1.1.2019 - 31.12.2019 and 1.1.2021 - 31.12.2021 are declared and compared, as derived from the periodic VAT returns for these periods.

Businesses that have entered intofranchise agreements(franchise), in their capacity as franchisor or franchisee, declare this fact in the application for funding and are checked at the verification stage as to whether they are related undertakings in order to determine the aid to be counted for the purposes of checking the cumulation of de minimis aid.

Attention: Beneficiaries who have already applied for funding under the Action are not eligible to apply for funding: "Emergency grants for the most affected by the pandemic entertainment, event and exhibition organisation, event catering, gym and dance school services" and their application is under evaluation or approved. Beneficiaries are eligible to apply for funding under this Natural Disasters Action only if their application under the other Action is rejected.

Program budget

The budget of the Action 26 million euros

- 20 million. euro for SMEs

- 6 million. euro for Large Enterprises

React EU - Action funded as part of the Union's response to pandemic COVID-19

Amount of subsidy

Up to 18.000 EUR grant per beneficiary enterprise, which will be granted as a lump sum to provide liquidity and cover future operating costs.

Analytically:

The public funding of each potential beneficiary enterprise is calculated at the time of the funding application on the basis of the submitted historical expenditure data of each applicant enterprise for the operating costs for the year 2019, as reflected in the respective E3 tax form, and by applying a horizontal percentage on the operating costs for the year 2019.

Expenses subsidized

The costs eligible for the Action, under the application of the simplified cost option and flat rate calculation, may be the following:

1. rents of commercial space,
2. energy costs, fixed and mobile business telephone, water supply, heating, etc,
3. expenditure on third-party fees (legal, consultancy, accounting, etc.),
4. promotion and networking costs (design and printing of advertising brochures, posters, advertisements, participation costs in professional exhibitions, corporate website/creation and/or upgrade, etc.),
5. costs for the supply of consumables,
6. depreciation of fixed assets (tangible and intangible),
7. salary costs of the company's staff.

The basis for determining a flat-rate amount per beneficiary company is the entry of the above indicative costs, as they are grouped in the corresponding fields / codes of the tax form E3 in the year 2019, i.e. in a period when the supported activities were not affected by natural disasters .

Therefore, the sum of the amounts of the fields: 581 (Employee benefits), 585 (Miscellaneous operating expenses) and 587 (Depreciation) of the tax form E3 of 2019 is taken into account. A horizontal percentage of 50% shall be applied to the determined sum, which is the amount of the total declared costs, for the purpose of calculating the proportional public funding as a lump sum.

For businesses that have started operations in 2019, the cumulative sum of the amounts of codes 581, 585 and 587 of the 2019 E3 tax form is calculated as the total actual sum of these codes divided by the total number of operating days of the year multiplied by 365.

Enterprises established in 2021, whether or not they had business income, may receive a lump sum of €2,000.

ATTENTION: For the calculation of the grant, amending tax data (amending E3 statement or amending VAT), which were submitted after the publication of this Call, are not accepted.

Important dates

Electronic Submission Start Date: Friday 13/05/2022 at 12:00

Closing date for online submission: Wednesday 07/12/2022 at 15:00

Necessary supporting documents for submission

Online Submission

The application for funding is submitted electronically to the State Aid Information System (PASKE):  www.ependyseis.gr/mis

Applications for funding will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the date of electronic submission to the Stade Aid Information System.

Useful Archives

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS FOR SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION

INVITATION TO THE PROGRAMME