F.A.Q.
1. Who are the beneficiaries of the Action?
Answer:
The potential beneficiaries of the Action are categorized according to the following two categories:
• Beneficiary Category A: Unemployed graduates of higher education, registered in the unemployment registers of the OAED, on the date of submission of the application.
• Beneficiary Category B: Natural persons who have graduated from higher education, who, on the date of publication of the Call, are engaged in a professional activity related to their specialty and do not have a salaried employment relationship, nor do they receive an old-age pension.
The conditions for participation are analyzed in chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation - BENEFICIARIES - TERMS & CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION.
2. Is it possible to set up companies?
Answer:
It is permitted to set up cooperative forms/forms of business, small and very small, in which partners/beneficiaries from the eligible categories of beneficiaries will participate, as long as the following conditions are met:
a) participation with equal corporate shares,
b) synergy or complementarity between the specialties of the cooperating natural persons,
c) The collaborating beneficiaries/partners should set up a Company that will have the legal form of a Limited Liability Company or a Limited Liability Company, or a Limited Liability Company or an I.K.E or a Social Cooperative Enterprise of Law 4019/2011 or a Cooperative,
d) in the case where self-employed persons participate in cooperative schemes for the creation of a new business, they must have stopped their existing individual professional activity by the date of presentation of the supporting documents for inclusion,
e) partnerships-associations of individual businesses are not allowed
f) are excluded from cooperative schemes, the partnerships of natural persons who, at the time of submitting the investment plan, are either spouses or first and second degree relatives.
The above are referred to in chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation.
3. Does the Action set age limits?
Answer:
No, there is no age restriction, as long as the conditions of the Invitation are met as analyzed in Chapter I.1.4 thereof.
4. What types of businesses are financed by the Action?
Answer:
The forms of businesses financed by the Action are Limited Liability Company, General Partnership, Limited Partnership, I.K.E, Sole Proprietorship as well as Social Cooperative Enterprise of Law 4019/2011 or Cooperative.
(See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
5. What do the terms synergy and complementarity mean in the case of creating partnerships between beneficiaries?
Answer:
Synergy is considered to be the joint exercise of business activity by two or more natural persons with the same specialty (e.g. two collaborating natural persons with a diploma in electrical engineering).
Complementarity is considered to be the joint exercise of business activity by two or more natural persons with different specialties that nevertheless maximize the results of the business they will establish (e.g. collaboration between a civil engineer and an architect).
Complementarity or synergy of specialties should be documented in the business plan.
(See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
6. a) Can a self-employed person be subsidized for exercising a professional activity based at his home? b) What does independent business space mean?
Answer:
a) A condition for the support of the beneficiaries of the action is the organization of their activity in an independent professional area (see Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation). Therefore, their business plan should be implemented in a place outside their residence (main or secondary). It is noted that the current headquarters of the existing business can be stated in the form for submitting the financing application, and specifically in the details of the self-employed, regardless of whether it concerns a residence. However, once the business plan is approved and by the date of submission of the supporting documents for inclusion, the beneficiary must have changed his seat, transferring it to an independent business premises. It is clarified that the business plan will concern only the headquarters of the company, which as mentioned above, should be located in an independent
workplace. In any case, all conditions for participation in the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates" must be fulfilled cumulatively.
b) An independent business space is defined as a space that is a separate property, has its own utilities (e.g. electricity) and is not used in any way as a residence (main or secondary).
(See Chapter I.1.2 of the Invitation _ IDENTITY OF THE ACTION)
7. To which regions does the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Graduates of Higher Education" concern? What is her total budget?
Answer:
The Action concerns all thirteen (13) regions of the country.
The Action's public expenditure budget amounts to €50 million and will be divided into two cycles (1st cycle FIRST SEMESTER 2016: 65% and 2nd cycle SECOND SEMESTER 2016: 35% of the budget of the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates" ).
This Action of the 1st cycle is financed with a total amount of €32.5 million (Public Expenditure) and is distributed among the regions of the country as follows:
REGIONS P/Y (D/D) €
Eastern Macedonia- Thrace, Central Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece 19,500,000
Western Macedonia, Ionian Islands, Peloponnese, North Aegean, Crete 5,785,000
Attica 5,070,000
Central Greece 1,261,000
South Aegean 884,000
TOTAL 32,500,000
(See Chapter I.1.2 of the Invitation)
8. What are the limits of income criteria in the Action for each category of beneficiary (A: Unemployed and B: Self-employed)?
Answer:
For both categories of beneficiaries (A: Unemployed and B: Self-employed) the total declared income for the tax year 2015 should not exceed, depending on their marital status, €20,000.00 for individual income or €35,000, 00€ for family income.
(See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
9. Can an interested investor submit two business plans to the Action "Strengthening Self-Employment of Higher Education Graduates"?
Answer:
Each eligible natural person should participate in the submission of only one business plan funding application (either independently or as a partner).
(See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
10. Can an interested party also have non-eligible KAD, but his business plan concerns only the eligible ones?
Answer:
• In Beneficiary Category A (Unemployed): Beneficiaries should start a business activity ONLY in the eligible Activity Code Numbers (K.A.D. 2008), as defined in Annex II from the date of electronic submission of the financing application and until the final date for the presentation of supporting documents for inclusion that will be set in the decision with the temporary list of potential beneficiaries of the Action and to maintain them throughout the implementation of the project. They should have ONLY eligible CAD throughout the business plan.
• In Beneficiary Category B (Self-Employed): Beneficiaries should be active on the date of publication of the Call professionally as sole proprietorships in an activity related to their specialty (degree of study), in at least one eligible KAD. By the time the supporting documents for inclusion are submitted, the non-eligible CPAs of main activity must have been abolished. They should have ONLY eligible CAD throughout the business plan. It is possible to maintain KAD of retail and wholesale trade (in accordance with Annex II of the Call), as a complementary secondary activity and provided that the secondary activity is necessary for the exercise of the main eligible activity. (See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
11. Can a beneficiary have been financed in the past by other actions?
Answer:
Beneficiaries must not have joined co-financed programs, in the capacity of individual entrepreneurs/professionals or partners in a subsidized company, from 1/1/2012 until the date of submission of the funding application, except for training programs. As long as their business plan is included in the context of this invitation, they must provide a responsible statement that from the date of submission of the financing application until the date of their inclusion they have not joined any
other programs and/or their written waiver of their funding request from another PE, if this is in the evaluation phase. The application should bear a notification stamp from the relevant Administrative Authority of the EP. or the competent EF.
(See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
12. Can a self-employed person participate in a cooperative scheme and at the same time maintain his sole proprietorship?
Answer:
No, in the case where self-employed persons participate in cooperative schemes for the creation of a new business, they should have stopped their existing individual professional activity by the date of presentation of the supporting documents for incorporation.
It is pointed out that throughout the duration of the business plan they are required to have ONLY eligible KAD.
(See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
13. To join the Action, in the case of category A' of the unemployed, do the interested parties need to attend the OAED counseling seminar?
Answer:
No, not required for this Action.
14. Can a pensioner submit to the Action as self-employed, i.e. having started a business before the date of publication of the Action call?
Answer:
The interested parties should not receive an old-age pension on the date of publication of the Invitation.
(See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
15. From when should the beneficiaries have started their new business activity?
Answer:
The following applies to the category of beneficiaries of the unemployed and to cooperative schemes: Beneficiaries must have started a business activity in the period from the date of electronic submission of their funding application and until the final date of presentation of the supporting documents to be defined in the decision with the provisional list of potential beneficiaries of the Action.
For the self-employed who will not participate in a cooperative scheme, the following applies: On the date of publication of the Invitation, they must already be professionally active as sole proprietorships in an activity related to their specialty (degree of study), in at least one eligible KAD. By the time the supporting documents for inclusion are submitted, the non-eligible CPAs of main activity must have been abolished.
ATTENTION: The date of start of expenditure eligibility is defined as the date of electronic submission of the beneficiary's application for funding.
(See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation)
16. Are businesses active in retail or wholesale trade eligible for the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates"?
Answer:
The activities of retail and wholesale trade are eligible ONLY if they are a complementary secondary activity and on the condition that the secondary activity is necessary for the exercise of the main eligible activity, i.e. necessary for the provision of the service (See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation ).
The eligible categories of business activities (KAD), as well as the secondary complementary activities, are defined in detail in Annex II of the Invitation.
17. Are businesses active in the mass catering sector eligible for the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates"?
Answer:
The eligible categories of business activities (CAB) are defined in detail in Annex II of the Invitation. These do NOT include the catering industry.
18. Are franchising businesses included in the "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates" Action?
Answer:
Businesses that are part of an already organized uniform distribution network of products or services and which exploit licenses for the exploitation of intellectual property rights, usually related to trademarks or distinctive titles and know-how for the use and distribution of goods or services, are not eligible to participate ( e.g. franchising, Shop in shop, agency network).
(See Chapter I.1.5 of the Invitation – ELIGIBLE AREAS OF ACTIVITY)
19. Specialties such as e.g. of the engineer or the lawyer who are registered with their respective insurance agencies, but have not started business activity in the D.O.Y. can they submit to the Action as unemployed?
Answer:
A necessary condition for someone to submit to the Action as an unemployed person is to be registered in the unemployment registers of the OAED when submitting the application. The competent body for the conditions of registration in the unemployment registers is the OAED. (see related http://www.oaed.gr/index.php?option
=com_content&view =article&id=605&Itemid=556&lang=en).
20. Can the interested party submit an application in the first cycle and if not approved, submit in the second cycle?
Answer:
The terms and conditions of participation in the second round will be detailed in the relevant invitation.
21. What do we mean by the term "wage work"?
Answer:
For the purposes of this invitation, salaried work is considered to be the employment relationship that exists when a natural person provides services:
a) in the context of an employment contract, in accordance with labor law,
b) based on a contract, oral or written, by which the natural person acquires a dependent labor relationship with another person, who has the right to define and control the manner, time and place of performance of the services,
c) which are regulated by the legislation on payroll and special payrolls of employees and public officials, the gross income of which (services) is entered in Table 4 – TAXABLE INCOME AND REDUCTIONS of form E1 (Income Tax Declaration for Fiscal Year 2015).
It is clarified that for the purposes of this invitation, the term salaried work does not include individual entrepreneurs whose income, for the purposes of income taxation, is considered as income from salaried work (app. f, paragraph 2, article 12 of the Tax Code).
22. What does the total claimed income include?
Answer:
The total declared income refers to the income obtained by each natural person from various sources such as income a) from salaried work and pensions, b) from business activity, c) from capital and d) from capital transfer capital gains, as they result from the form " Income Tax Declaration" (form E1) and the form "Administrative Tax Determination Act" (clearance statement). This Action examines the total declared income earned during the 2015 tax year.
23. Has the right to participate in the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Graduates of Higher Education" someone who, within the year 2015, worked as an employee, but before the date of publication of the invitation has terminated the employment relationship and is now professionally active in an activity related to his specialty ; What are the required supporting documents?
Answer:
He may submit to the Action, as long as he does not have a salaried employment relationship on the date of publication of the Call and cumulatively meets all the conditions for participation as analyzed in chapter I.1.4 of the call. The required supporting documents for the potentially included business plans are analyzed in APPENDIX IV of the invitation.
24. Can a self-employed person who meets the conditions for participation, but is a partner in an IKE, submit to the Action?
Answer:
He can submit, as long as he meets the conditions for participation in the Action as they are analyzed in chapter I.1.4 of the invitation - BENEFICIARIES - TERMS & CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION.
25. What is the subsidy rate in the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Graduates of Higher Education"?
Answer:
The percentage of Public Funding amounts to 100% of the total budget of each business plan.
(See Chapter I.1.2 of the Invitation)
26. What is the funded budget?
Answer:
The amount of investment (subsidized P/Y) should be from €5,000 to €25,000. The amount of €25,000 is increased if the business plan is submitted by a cooperative scheme. In particular, for the cooperation of two participating beneficiaries, the total budget can reach up to
€40,000, while for the cooperation of three or more beneficiaries, this can go up to €50,000. The aid rate is set at 100% of the eligible expenditure.
(See Chapter I.1.2 of the Invitation)
27. In case the budget of the business plan exceeds the public funding ceilings, can the business plan be included in the Action?
Answer:
In the event that the business plan has a budget greater than €25,000 (or respectively €40,000 or €50,000), the amount beyond the Public Funding to cover the total budget is considered private participation for the implementation of the business plan. Despite the fact that excess costs are not subsidized, the whole business plan and all its costs are subject to evaluation and monitoring-control.
(see Chapter I.1.6.2 of the Invitation – PROJECT BUDGET – IMPLEMENTATION DURATION)
28. What is the duration of the implementation of the approved business plans?
Answer:
The duration of the implementation of the approved business plans should be a maximum of twenty-four (24) months from the date of their inclusion decision (see Chapter I.1.6.2 of the Invitation).
29. What is the application process?
Answer:
Funding applications must be submitted MONO electronically by the candidate Beneficiaries via the State Aid Information System (GSIS) (http://www.ependyseis.gr/mis).
The submission form will be available at PSKE from the start date of the online submission of funding applications.
Please note that no physical file with documentation (justifications) is submitted during the submission phase. The supporting documents will be submitted after the evaluation and provisional ranking and only for the potentially included investment projects.
(see Chapter I.1.8 of the Invitation – FUNDING APPLICATION PROCEDURE)
30. Is co-location of businesses allowed?
Answer:
Co-location of businesses is not allowed. The term co-location means the establishment of the business in the same, non-distinct space with another business. In the event that co-location of businesses is found, the integration decision will be revoked. (see Chapter I.1.6.1 of the Invitation)
31. What is the start and end date of eligibility of expenses?
Answer:
Costs may be eligible from the date each potential beneficiary submits their funding application electronically up to 24 months from the date of their decision to join the Action.
(see Chapter I.1.6.1 of the Invitation)
32. Is the expenditure on the purchase/lease of a means of transport eligible?
Answer:
Expenditure for the purchase/lease of a means of transport is eligible if it serves the feasibility of the business plan, is for professional use and meets the conditions of Chapter I.1.6.1 of the Invitation – ELIGIBLE EXPENSES.
33. Is VAT eligible?
Answer:
Expenditure of recoverable VAT is not eligible.
• Value Added Tax (VAT) is an eligible expense only if the beneficiary does not have the right to deduct VAT according to the provisions of the VAT code, as applicable. In particular, it is an eligible expenditure if it is borne by expenses used for the exercise of exempted or exempted from VAT activities of the beneficiary.
• In cases where VAT is incurred on expenses, which are used both for the exercise of activities for which the right of deduction is not granted, and for the exercise of activities for which the relevant right is granted, the VAT is an eligible expenditure at the rate that cannot to be recovered.
(see Chapter I.1.6.1 of the Invitation)
34. Are expenses for education/training justified?
Answer:
Expenditures for specialized vocational training seminars are eligible from
bodies certified by EOPPEP. The eligible expenses are mentioned in Chapter I.1.6.1 of the Invitation.
35. Can the equipment purchased through the Action be used?
Answer:
The expenditure for the purchase of equipment is eligible, provided that the equipment is of modern technology, new, unused and in the ownership of the company and in addition meets all the required conditions of the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates".
(see APPENDIX III of the Invitation)
36. Can the employee who will be hired and subsidized be related to the beneficiary of the business plan?
Answer:
The expense of the new job is not eligible if the employee is a spouse or relative up to the 2nd degree of the employer beneficiary of the business plan. In the case of a legal entity, this condition applies to all partners.
(see Chapter I.1.6.1 of the Invitation)
37. What is the amount of expenditure for the salary cost for new job position(s)?
Answer:
The maximum amount (in the business plan budget) for this expenditure is €12,000. The salary cost of the new job includes all legal deductions and employer contributions. The cost of the new job should be reasonable and commensurate with the time of employment.
(see Chapter I.1.6.1 of the Invitation)
38. When are supporting documents submitted?
Answer:
No physical file with documentation (for reasons) is submitted during the submission phase. The supporting documents will be submitted after the completion of the evaluation by the date set in the decision with the provisional list of potential beneficiaries of the Action and only for the potentially included business plans.
(see Chapter I.1.8 of the Invitation)
39. Is it necessary to present price lists and/or tender forms to document the costs, when submitting the business plan financing application, and/or when submitting the supporting documentation?
Answer:
It is not necessary to present price lists and/or tender forms at any of the two stages (electronic submission of funding application and submission of supporting documents). It should be noted that for the submission of the business plan financing application, it is not necessary to present a physical file and supporting documents.
Correspondingly, in the supporting documents for inclusion, as they are analyzed in APPENDIX IV
the invitation does not include preference lists and/or tender forms.
(see chapter I.1.8 of the invitation)
40. How is the funding paid?
Answer:
• The First Request for Interim Verification of expenses can be submitted after the execution of at least 25% of the total financial and corresponding physical object.
• The Second Request for Interim Verification of Progress expenses can be submitted after the execution of at least 50% of the total financial and corresponding physical object.
• The beneficiary has the right to submit an Application for Final Verification of expenses of his business plan without having previously submitted an Application for Intermediate Verification of expenses.
(see Chapter I.1.11.2 of the Invitation - MONITORING OF DEEDS - VERIFICATIONS - CERTIFICATIONS)
41. Is it possible to receive an advance from the Action?
Answer:
It is possible, if requested by the beneficiary, to make an advance payment of up to 40% of the approved budget (Public Expenditure) of the business plan after checking the supporting documents for inclusion by EYD EPANEK/the EF and with the presentation of an equivalent guarantee letter from the beneficiary.
The Beneficiary may make use of special bank accounts in the form
"Escrow Accounts" or other financial instruments, provided that there is a statutory framework for their operation.
(see Chapter I.1.11.3 of the Invitation – PAYMENT OF AID)
42. What is the process of evaluating business plans?
Answer:
A comparative evaluation is done electronically by two evaluators, based on the criteria of this invitation. Each criterion has its own weighting factor. The score of the criteria results from the sum of the score of each sub-criterion by the weighting factor with the multiplication of each criterion by ten (10) to reduce to a scale of 100.00. The final score of the business plan results from the sum of the scoring criteria multiplied by the weighting factor. The maximum final score for a business plan is 100.00.
The evaluation process, as well as the evaluation criteria, are analyzed in
APPENDIX V of the detailed Invitation.
43. a) Is it possible to stop the operation of a business before the completion of the business plan? b) What are the long-term obligations of the companies that will be subsidized for equipment?
Answer:
a) The interruption of the operation of the business, as well as its non-productive operation before the repayment of the project (not termination of the project or submission of an audit request) is a reason for revocation of the inclusion decision. Based on the above, at least until the final disbursement, the company should show signs of productive operation (e.g. property electrification, installed equipment, lease contract in force, etc.).
(see Chapter I.1.13 of the Invitation – COMPLETION OF TRANSACTIONS)
b) In case of use of expenditure category 8 (Purchase/Financial lease of equipment/Small-scale interior design) there is an obligation to maintain the investment for three (3) years after the final payment of the public expenditure and in addition to comply with the more specific obligations referred to in chapter I.1.14.2 of the Invitation - LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS OF BENEFICIARIES.
44. Can a holder of two degrees who carries out both activities submit a business plan concerning both?
Answer:
A beneficiary who holds two degrees can submit a business plan to the action that is relevant to at least one of the two degrees in one or more eligible KAD. In any case, the conditions of the Invitation must be met cumulatively. It is pointed out that the relevance of the business plan activity is an evaluation criterion. (see APPENDIX V of the Invitation)
45. Can dual professional activity be used with a partner from a different field of knowledge (e.g. accountant-lawyer)?
Answer:
A business plan may be submitted by two or more natural persons with different specialties, as long as it is documented in the business plan that they jointly maximize the results of the business they will establish. Complementarity is a criterion that will be evaluated.
46. Is a letter of guarantee required for granting an advance payment?
Answer:
Yes, an equivalent guarantee letter is required.
Alternatively, you can use a special account that will be kept in the Deposits and Loans Fund and through which the Beneficiary's suppliers will be paid according to the grant percentage of the Action, according to the terms and conditions that will be determined in the future. The use of this account does not require the presentation of a letter of guarantee.
47. Can an individual business that was approved but not subsidized by a previous program join the program for graduates of higher education?
Answer:
Beneficiaries must not have joined co-financed programs, in the capacity of individual entrepreneurs/professionals or partners in a subsidized company, from 1/1/2012 until the date of submission of the funding application, except for training programs. This condition concerns the inclusion of the beneficiary in another Program regardless of whether he has received the grant amount from the specific Program.
It is clarified that if before the date of submission to the Action a withdrawal decision has been issued from a program in which he had joined, then the prospective beneficiary may submit to the Action, provided that he meets all the participation conditions. In any case, the EYD EPANEK/the EF of the Action reserves the right to cross-check the correctness of the information declared by the beneficiary.
48. Is the purchase of software subsidized as an eligible expenditure by the Action?
Answer:
The expenditure related to the purchase of software is eligible as long as the company is the legal owner of the license to use it and the required documents of its acquisition are available.
Expenditures related to in-house software development by the company itself that was approved for funding are not eligible.
In any case, the eligibility conditions for the costs of the Action must be met.
49. How many years should the commercial housing lease be in effect from its inception?
Answer:
The lease must be concluded in accordance with the current institutional framework, which also governs its duration. In any case, it should be ensured that in order to declare expenses related to a specific rent, a legal rental agreement must exist. In case of termination of the business leases governed by Law 4242/2014 and article 5 in PD 34/1995 before the end date of the business plan, the rent expenses may be certified if the Beneficiary's P/D that he makes use of the law is submitted and is still housed in a space where the lease contract has expired or that it is still housed in the same space with an implicit extension. In the event of a change of business premises, the terms of the Invitation must be respected regarding the permitted modifications.
It is pointed out that the company, at least until the final disbursement, should show signs of productive operation (e.g. property electrification, installed equipment, lease contract in force, etc.).
In the cases of businesses that have made use of the flexibility clause, in accordance with article 98 of the Civil Code. EE 1303/2013 there is an obligation to maintain them for at least three years after the final payment of the public expenditure.
50. How are the income ratings formed in the case of cooperation?
Answer:
In Appendix V ASSESSMENT, page 11, it is stated that in case of creation of a corporate structure, the score of criterion A. INCOME CRITERIA OF POTENTIAL BENEFICIARIES results from the weighted average of the score of the partners.
51. Should the company's activity code belong to the CPA Subcategory to be eligible in the first place (69.10.1 Legal services Lawyers) or can it have an activity in NACE classes (69.1 Legal Activities)?
Answer:
The eligible categories of business activities (KAD), as well as the secondary complementary activities, are defined in detail in Annex II of the Invitation.
For category B – Self-employed: On the date of publication of the Invitation, they should already be professionally active as sole proprietorships in an activity related to their specialty (degree), in at least one eligible KAD. Therefore, in the submission form, the details of the self-employed should state the activity of the business (KAD) in its largest analysis, as it is reflected in the document of the D.O.Y.
In any case, regardless of beneficiary category, the following applies:
In the elements of the business plan, and in particular in the field related to the activity of the business plan (BPA), the BPA should be indicated in at least a four-level analysis, in order to avoid the case of including an ineligible BPA (e.g. in BPA 69.1, KAD 69.10.19.01 Practicing Lawyer Services, 69.10.02 Bailiff Services are not eligible for the Action.
It is pointed out that until the submission of the supporting documents for inclusion, the KADs that are not included in Annex II must have been abolished and therefore the beneficiaries of the Action should have ONLY eligible KADs, throughout the implementation of the business plan.
In addition, the greater analysis of the KAD facilitates the assessment of the relevance of the KAD to the beneficiary's qualification.
52. A sole proprietorship that started in July 2010 as a business consultant participating in the New Freelancers program that had to be registered in the OAED registers, and was financed with 24,000 euros for 3 years can participate in the Action?
Answer:
Since the date of inclusion of the company in the New Freelancers Program was in 2010, therefore before the time period set in the Action "...not having joined co-financed programs from 1/1/2012 and until the date of electronic submission..." see Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation, the company in question may participate in the Action, provided that it cumulatively meets all the required participation conditions.
53. In both programs the expenses are eligible after the date of electronic submission. If the company gives an advance for the preparation of the file before the electronic submission without issuing an invoice, will the specific expense be considered eligible by the program?
Answer:
The expenses may be considered eligible from the date of the electronic submission of the business plan financing application and up to 24 months from the date of its inclusion decision.
Therefore, in order to certify the costs of the business plan as eligible, they must relate exclusively to the period of implementation of the business plan, comply with the requirements of the applicable tax and labor legislation and comply with the provisions set out in the Action's detailed call.
54. A doctor is interested in setting up a branch. Is this action eligible?
Answer:
Branch creation is not an eligible action.
It is recalled that a condition for the support of Action beneficiaries is the organization of their activity in an independent professional area (see Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation). The business plan will only concern the headquarters of the company, which, as mentioned above, should be located in an independent business area. In any case, all conditions for participation in the Action must be met cumulatively.
55. Does the medical specialty also need recognition by DOATAP or only the degree?
Answer:
According to the Call for the Action, the potential beneficiaries of the Action should be active in an activity related to their specialty (study title).
Therefore, a specialty related to the business plan should be from a school of higher education (HEI/TEI) or an equivalent school, in Greece or abroad (recognized by D.O.A.T.A.P.).
56. What happens in the event that a secondary KAAD is not among the eligible ones? Should it be deleted?
Answer:
The business plans that will be approved must have ONLY eligible KAD throughout their implementation. They may have a retail and wholesale trade license (according to Annex II of the Call), as a complementary secondary activity and provided that the secondary activity is necessary for the exercise of the main eligible activity.
57. Can an existing business with KAD 69.10 or 69.20 join the "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates" Action? Otherwise he can add now and until submission, quaternary KAD?
Answer:
Since in the document of the D.O.Y. KAAD 69.10 and/or 69.20 are listed, without further analysis and since the said KAAD are included in APPENDIX II of the Call, no change of KAAD in greater detail is required until the funding application is submitted. In the submission form, and specifically in the details of the self-employed, the activity of the business (KAD) should be declared as it is reflected in the document of the D.O.Y.
However, in the elements of the business plan and in particular in the field related to the activity of the business plan (BSP), the BSP should be indicated in at least a four-level analysis, in order to avoid the case of including non-eligible BSP (e.g. in KAD 69.10, KAD 69.10.19.01 Practicing Lawyer Services, 69.10.02 Bailiff services are not eligible for the Action.
58. Can the amounts of previous settlement of insurance contributions be considered eligible expenses?
Answer:
All eligible expenses must relate exclusively to the period of implementation of the business plan.
59. After joining the Action, can the partners of a business enter into a marital relationship with each other?
Answer:
The time for fulfilling the conditions for participation in the Action is expressly defined in its Invitation. In particular, regarding the marital relationship, it is mentioned in Chapter I.1.4 "Collaborations of natural persons are excluded which, when submitting the business plan, are either spouses or 1st and 2nd degree relatives".
60. Can the cost for the purchase of an accounting program and its support be included in the expense category "Third party fees" or should the entire amount go to the expense category "Purchase of equipment"?
Answer:
Depending on the type of expenditure, it is entered in the corresponding category of expenditure as analyzed in Chapter I.1.6 of the Invitation.
In particular, the expenditure for the purchase of software is included, as the case may be, in expenditure category 7 "Depreciation of fixed assets/Financial leasing of equipment" or 8
"Purchase/Equipment finance lease/Small-scale interior design", while the expenditure for support services is included in expenditure category 2 "Expenditure for third party fees".
In any case, the expense will be documented by the corresponding agreements and invoicing documents in which the cost of the supply of the software and the cost of the service will be adequately analyzed.
In addition, all the necessary conditions listed in the Invitation to the Action and in its accompanying Appendices regarding expenses must be met.
61. When is the business plan that is the subject of a score for the subsidy submitted if the physical file is sent after pre-approval?
Answer:
In the form for submitting the funding application submitted electronically through PSKE, the potential beneficiary of the Action will provide a detailed presentation of their business plan and in particular will analyze the objective of the business plan, the correlation of the KAD of the business plan with the relevance of the specialty (title studies) of the beneficiary/partners, the synergy or complementarity between the specialties in case of collaborative schemes, the produced products/services-target market and the revenue-expense forecasts of the business. The aforementioned elements should be described with due clarity and completeness as they are necessary for the evaluation according to the prescribed criteria (see Annex V of the Call for Action).
62. A) In the case of setting up a joint venture by two unemployed graduates, who makes the application? Are their points calculated as the average of the two partners' scores?
B) If there has been no previous financing, nor associated companies, do we not complete the corresponding tables in the annexes of the announcement?
Answer:
A) It is explicitly mentioned in the invitation of the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Graduates of Higher Education" (Chap. I.1.4) that all the participation conditions also apply in the case of beneficiary partnerships, for each beneficiary partner separately. The grading of the individual criteria in the case of a cooperative scheme is thoroughly analyzed in APPENDIX V of the Invitation.
In the case of creating a corporate structure, a business plan financing application is submitted, in which the details of all partners are completed, according to the submission form which will be available at PSKE from the date of the start of the electronic submission of financing applications.
B) The tables of the Annexes are filled out on a case-by-case basis, depending on the beneficiary's situation. In any case, all the required supporting documents must be submitted at a time and place that will be defined in the decision with the temporary list of potential beneficiaries.
63. Are sole proprietorships and sole proprietorships included? Is it a different legal form than IKE and EPE?
Answer:
The Sole Proprietorship and the Sole Proprietorship LLC are in the same legal form as those of the Proprietorship and LLC, with the difference that it can be established by one person. These legal forms of business can be considered eligible for the establishment of a company in the Action, under the conditions set in the Invitation.
It is noted that:
A) the establishment of this legal form of business concerns only beneficiary category A – Unemployed.
B) For existing businesses (ie beneficiary category B – Self-employed) this legal form of business is not eligible.
The term "self-employed" refers to natural persons who carry out an individual business activity, therefore sole proprietorships and limited liability companies are not included in the eligible categories of beneficiaries of the Action.
64. Can self-employed persons who have been subject to another program as individual entrepreneurs in the last 3 years, but have not exceeded the limit of € 200,000 minor aid, submit a proposal?
Answer:
Beneficiaries must not have joined co-financed programs, in the capacity of individual entrepreneurs/professionals or partners in a subsidized company, from 1/1/2012 until the date of submission of the funding application, except for training programs. This condition set in this Action is in addition to the De Minimis condition that applies to all State aid actions.
65. Is it necessary to have found the installation site before submitting the business plan funding application?
Answer:
It is not necessary, as it will not be mandatory on the submission form to fill in the exact address of the business plan (eg street, number and postal code), as it will not exist by the date of the funding application. However, the region, as well as the municipality of the place of implementation of the business plan, should be declared.
However, once the business plan is approved and by the date of submission of the supporting documents for inclusion, the beneficiary must submit the required supporting documents (e.g. certificate of commencement at the D.O.Y., lease agreement) which will state the exact address of the headquarters of the business.
It is clarified that for the cases of the self-employed who currently have their residence as the headquarters of their business, they should know the following:
• In the form for submitting the financing application, and specifically in the details of the self-employed, the current headquarters of the existing business can be stated, regardless of whether it concerns a residence. However, once the business plan is approved and by the date of submission of the supporting documents for inclusion, the beneficiary must have changed his seat, transferring it to an independent business premises.
• The business plan will only concern the headquarters of the company, which as mentioned above, should be located in an independent business area.
It is further emphasized that the beneficiary must cumulatively meet all the conditions for participation in the Action.
66. Is a limited company with an activity in accounting - tax technical (both partners graduates) - start date 01.01.2011 - and participation rates of the two partners 90% - 10% eligible in case B' of the announcement?
Answer:
The Action "Strengthening the Self-Employment of Graduates of Higher Education" is aimed at:
a) unemployed graduates of higher education at the date of submission of the application and
b) to natural persons (self-employed) graduates of higher education, who, on the date of publication of the Invitation, exercise a professional activity related to their specialty and do not have a salaried employment relationship, nor receive an old-age pension.
The term "self-employed" refers to natural persons who carry out an individual business activity, therefore the limited partnership (legal entity) is not included in the eligible categories of beneficiaries of the Action and therefore cannot apply for funding.
67. If a company had participated in another subsidized program, e.g. in the Development Law, NSRF, etc. after 2012, can he participate again? A subsidized program is also considered if a company had received a subsidy for people through Voucher or New jobs;
Answer:
He cannot participate if he has joined co-financed programs,
in the capacity of the individual entrepreneur/proprietary or the partner in
subsidized company, from 1/1/2012 until the date of submission of the funding application, except for training programs (See Chapter I.1.4 of the Call).
68. If one of the shareholders of an SME participates either as a Natural Person or as a company in a second company, where the 2nd company had received a grant after 2012 through Development or NSRF, can the 1st SME participate in the Program? (they are partners). Also, if one of the shareholders of an SME participates either as a Natural Person or as a company in a second company, where the 2nd company had received a grant for people through Vouchers or New positions after 2012, can the 1st SME participate in the Program?
Answer:
Beneficiaries must not have joined co-financed programs, in the capacity of individual entrepreneurs/professionals or partners in a subsidized company, from 1/1/2012 until the date of submission of the funding application, with the exception of training programs (See Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation).
Therefore, since he has joined co-financed programs with one of the aforementioned qualities, he cannot participate in the actions that are subject to the specific limitation.
69. A doctor, who meets the Income Criteria and has an eligible KAD but after 2012 took a person with a Voucher and a person through the New Jobs Program can enter this Program
Answer:
He cannot participate in the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Graduates of Higher Education" if he has joined co-financed programs, as an individual entrepreneur/professional or a partner in a subsidized company, from 1/1/2012 until the date of submission of the application funding, except for training programs. The possibility of submitting to the Action presupposes the cumulative fulfillment of all the required standard participation conditions analyzed in Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation.
70. If a company was granted a grant from the Structural Adjustment Program, which included Training and Consulting services, after 2012, can it participate in the Program?
Answer:
According to Chapter I.1.4 of the Invitation, "Beneficiaries should not have joined co-financed programs, in the capacity of individual entrepreneurs/professionals or partners in a subsidized company, from 1/1/2012 until the date of submission of the funding application, except for training programs".
The Structural Adjustment Program of the companies implemented within the framework of the E.P. "Human Resources Development" had as eligible actions in addition to training and consulting services to the company in matters of business operation, or personnel or in organizational systems - procedures. Therefore, he is not included in the exception of the above condition and cannot participate in the Program.
71. An interested party who has joined in 2014 the Program "Strengthening Beneficiaries for the acquisition of the status of Energy Inspector" co-financed by the ECB, within the framework of EPANAD 2007-2013, can participate in the Actions "Strengthening the Self-Employment of Higher Education Graduates" or "New Entrepreneurship"
Answer:
The implementation of the Action "Strengthening beneficiaries to obtain the status of Energy Inspector" (in the context of EPANAD 2007-2013 and with EFD EYSED EN/KA) concerns training and certification actions for beneficiaries, which are exempt from the limitation set in actions "Strengthening the Self-Employment of Graduates of Higher Education" and "Young Entrepreneurship". Therefore, as long as he meets all the conditions for participating in the action, the interested party can participate in ONLY one of the two actions.
72. In Chapter I.1.6 of the Invitation it is stated that the partnerships of natural persons who, when submitting the business plan, are either spouses or 1st and 2nd degree relatives are excluded. This restriction applies to relatives by blood or blood, and since it also applies to the second case, how is it proven?
Answer:
The limitation of non-existence of kinship in the case of partnerships between natural persons applies to both types of kinship (by blood and by blood) and is proven by the presentation by each partner of the cooperative scheme:
a) marital status certificate and in addition
b) Responsible Declaration, in which it will be confirmed that there is no relationship between them up to the 2nd degree by blood and/or blood.
73. In the event that the beneficiary or the partners of a cooperative scheme do not participate in other businesses or their financial data for the years 2014 and 2015 are zero, either because they had not yet set up the business, or because they were/are unemployed, then what should be filled in the table of tab I.5.4 "Company Size Aggregate Data"?
Answer:
In case of non-existence of financial data for the years 2014 & 2015, zeros will be filled in all the fields of the table of tab I.5.4. It is also pointed out that in the case of cooperative schemes, where at least one self-employed person participates, the data of the existing individual business(es) should not be included, which according to the invitation should stop their existing individual activity by the date of presentation of the membership documents, except for the details of affiliated/collaborating companies, if any.
74. Can a letter of guarantee from a foreign bank be used?
Answer:
The financial institution that will issue the letter of guarantee is not required to have its main or registered office in Greece, but may maintain a branch, secondary office, etc. in Greece if it meets the relevant rules (e.g. license from the Bank of Greece) and legally provides guarantees for the implementation needs of article 131 par. 4 of Regulation 1303/2013.
75. Renting of an office by a spouse or a relative of the First and Second Degree and hiring a spouse or a relative of the First and Second Degree is not allowed. What about those who have a cohabitation agreement?
Answer:
The same applies when there is a cohabitation agreement because according to article 5 paragraph 1 of Law 4356/2015 "The provisions on the relations of spouses from marriage are applied accordingly to the personal relations of the parties to the agreement between them, as long as there is no different special regulation in this or another law".
76. A sole trader (self-employed person) whose income is taxed at the salaried scale, because most of their income comes from a partner/employer, may apply to the Graduate Action or is excluded because they are deemed to be related wage labor?
Answer:
The individual entrepreneur who makes use of the possibility of article 12 (par. 2, point f) of the Tax Code (Law 4172/2013) and this is reflected in the Tax Declaration
of income for tax year 2015 (Form E1), as well as in the Administrative Tax Determination Act (settlement statement) that accompanies it, belongs to the eligible categories of beneficiaries and can submit an application to the "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates" Action, regardless of the fact that the his income is taxed at the wage/pensioner scale. (see Chapter I.1.4 – BENEFICIARIES – TERMS & CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION of
Invitation, footnote 1). In any case, the other conditions and terms of the Invitation must be met.
77. Can the same interested beneficiary submit funding applications for the same or another business plan in parallel to the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of Graduates of Higher Education" and to another Action of the EPANEK announced on 11/02/2016?
Answer:
The beneficiary/partners of the business plan can participate with a ONLY business plan funding application in ONLY one of the four (4) actions announced on 02/11/2016 within the framework of the EP. "COMPETITIVENESS-ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION".
78. How is the aid that a Beneficiary will receive taxed?
Answer:
According to the Circular of the Ministry of Finance with No. Prot: DEAF 1080132 EX 2015/02/06/2015 (AD: ÓZOPSI-B5Ξ), subsidies are not excluded from the total income from business transactions but are counted in the calculation of income from business activity.
However, as has been firmly accepted by the Administration, the received amounts of grants for the purchase of fixed assets are not considered additional elements of gross income, i.e. they do not increase the gross income from business activity, but are a reducing element of the new investments made. Furthermore, depreciation is calculated on the acquisition value of the fixed assets after deducting the amounts of grants, while for grants paid to cover specific expenses, these do not increase the income from business activity, but are a reducing element of the cost of the expense granted.
79. Stakeholder whose sole proprietorship participated for an internship as a beneficiary of the "Labor market entry check for unemployed youth up to 29 years" Training Program and then hired him for another 6 months receiving a subsidy for his insurance contributions for the period of his employment , can participate in the action "Strengthening the self-employment of Higher Education Graduates"?
Answer:
The "Labor market entry check for unemployed youth up to 29 years of age" program announced with the A.P. 11577/5.7600/1-4-2013 Invitation of the EYE-EKT of the Ministry Labor, in the context of the EP "Human Resource Development", aimed at unemployed young people between the ages of 18 and 29 for participation in training programs, which included the following: a) theoretical training, b) 500 hours of practical training, in private sector enterprises, and c) advisory support services for trainees. In the same invitation, the possibility of subsidizing the company for the recruitment of the beneficiary immediately after the end of the internship was foreseen, but this would be the subject of another invitation.
Following this with A.P. 110116- 27/12/2013 decision, announced by the OAED "Subsidy program for businesses to hire unemployed young people who had joined the programs "Labor market entry check for unemployed young people up to 29 years old" or "Labor market entry check for unemployed young people aged up to 29 years in the tourism sector". Beneficiaries of the action were businesses and generally employers in the private sector, who carry out an economic activity and had hired the beneficiaries of the "Labor market entry voucher for unemployed youth up to 29 years old" or "Labor market entry voucher for unemployed young people aged up to 29 in the tourism sector" the day after the end of their internship which had been carried out for these beneficiaries.
Therefore, based on the above, if the person concerned has joined as
sole proprietorship in the above program of the OAED, then it does NOT meet all the standard conditions for participation in the Program "Strengthening the Self-Employment of Graduates of Higher Education".
80. An interested party who meets all the conditions for participation in the action as an unemployed person submits a financier application and until the submission of supporting documents for inclusion in the action, if approved, can he work as an employee?
Answer:
The time for fulfilling the conditions for participation in the Action "Strengthening the self-employment of graduates of higher education" is explicitly defined in its Invitation. Specifically for the unemployed, it is noted in Chapter I.1.4 that potential beneficiaries of the Action are A: "Unemployed persons registered in the unemployment registers of the OAED when the application is submitted".
81. Is the cost of purchasing books and publications, as well as the cost of subscription to electronic databases, an eligible expenditure for the action?
Answer:
The costs of the supply of books and subscription access to databases which are necessary for the exercise of the subsidized professional activity are acceptable for the Action.
As an example, the expenditure on the supply of books can be included in expenditure category 4 'Supply of Consumables', while the expenditure on subscription access to databases can be included in expenditure category 2 'Expenditure for third party fees'. In any case, the costs in question will be documented and analyzed in the respective invoicing documents.
It is also pointed out that, in order for the company's expenses to be considered eligible, the terms and conditions set out in the Call for Action must be met.
