From the Region new initiatives to support those who want to do business in Lombardy

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radiocor) - The Lombardy Region is launching the new measure "New business - small municipalities and hamlets" with funding of over 5.5 million euro. From September, non-repayable contributions will be available for those who decide to open a food and basic necessities shop in small municipalities and hamlets, where there are none. "Shops, premises and historic shops are a fundamental part of Lombardy's economic fabric and guarantee a fundamental garrison for the communities from an economic but also a social and safety point of view, ensuring services, employment and contributing to the quality of life in the territories, especially in the small communities, stressed the Lombardy Region's Councillor for Economic Development, Guido Guidesi, who, assisted by his colleague Massimo Sertori (Local Authorities, Mountains, Energy Resources, Use of Water Resources), decided to launch this concrete measure precisely for those who want to undertake a difficult challenge but one of high cultural and social value. "As a Region, we want to guarantee concrete support to those who intend to do business in small towns: the objective is to ensure proximity services to citizens, starting with grocery shops, in order to stem the commercial desertification related to depopulation phenomena. We want to make a contribution to revitalising local economies, making communities more liveable. Neighbourhood commerce does not only have an economic value, but also plays a social and territorial role, responding to needs for aggregation, relationships, sociability, identity and security,' Guidesi explained. "Grocery shops play a fundamental role in mountain municipalities in particular: facilitating their opening, where there is an absence of this commercial activity, means helping to improve the quality of life of residents, with positive repercussions also on tourist attractiveness and therefore on the consequent opportunities for repopulation," added Sertori.

The facilitation consists in the granting of non-repayable capital resources up to 80% of the eligible expenditure: the contribution may not exceed a maximum of EUR 40,000. Projects must provide for a minimum investment of €3,000. Only one application may be admitted for each small municipality and for each of its districts that have not been engaged in fixed-site retailing of foodstuffs and basic necessities for at least six months. Beneficiary undertakings may be either new activities or new local units of existing undertakings. Expenditure on the purchase of capital goods, machinery, equipment, new furnishings, assembly, transport, labour and construction of structures is eligible. Also eligible are expenses incurred for the purchase of management software and hardware, registration and development of trademarks and quality certifications, notary fees and costs relating to the establishment of the business, consultancy, operating office rentals, and communication plans. The applications, with the telematic counter opening in September, must be submitted through the "Bandi e Servizi" platform of the Lombardy Region. "The role of the municipalities is fundamental because they can supplement the Region's support by providing space for the business and reducing the local taxes associated with opening and running the business," Guidesi and Sertori pointed out, emphasising the need for synergy between municipalities and the Region.

Still on the subject of setting up new businesses, the Lombardy Region reaffirms its policies to support the economic-productive world by refinancing the 'New Business' call for proposals, which guarantees contributions towards the costs associated with setting up new businesses. In this case, the facilitation consists in the granting of non-repayable capital resources up to 50% of the expenditure deemed eligible: the contribution cannot exceed a maximum limit of EUR 10,000. The Regional Council, at the proposal of Councillor Guidesi, has allocated a further EUR 1.9 million to ensure funding for all applications deemed eligible. This brings the total endowment of the measure for 2025 to over EUR 12.4 million. "The 'New Enterprise' call supports new activities, self-employment and self-employment and is part of a precise cultural choice of the Region: we are alongside those who decide to bet on the future, on their own qualities and ingenuity. Lombardy is great because every day entrepreneurs of different generations play their own challenge in self-employment, generating work, employment, innovation and induced activities. We are and will always be on their side by providing tools that have proven to be effective over the years,' Guidesi concluded.