The employers' confederation IMM Romania proposed on Thursday an economic recovery program for small and medium-sized enterprises consisting of 11 financing programs to support micro-enterprises, which it considers mandatory for the third reform package to be adopted by the Bolojan Government.
The programs have appeared in public, being assumed in various government programs, in electoral campaigns, when the Government was sworn in or when politicians presented proposals to the business community to support it
explained the President of IMM Romania, Florin Jianu, according to Agerpres.
The organization thus proposes certain programs to support SMEs, such as: SME INVEST - guarantees of up to 90% of the value of loans for investment and working capital, estimated number of beneficiaries - 50,000, guaranteed financing cannot exceed ten million lei / beneficiary; SME Prosumer - production of electricity under 400 kW for own consumption and storage, grants of up to 200,000 euro, with an own contribution of 30%, estimated number of beneficiaries of 10.000 SMEs; Green Energy Production - support for the production of photovoltaic panels, electric batteries for storage and electric cars, wind turbines, state aid of maximum € 50 million/enterprise, for an own contribution of € 5 million (10%), for greenfield investments, estimated number of beneficiaries being 6; SCALE-UP - support for SMEs with minimum 10 years of age to increase industrial production, state aid of maximum € 1.000.000 euro, for SMEs that have fully paid their tax obligations, estimated number of beneficiaries - 2.000 SMEs.
Programs are also proposed: Start-Up Revolution - 500 start-ups financed/ county, total about 20.500 start-ups in two years, Start-up Garant loans through FNGCIMM; Romania Scale Up Fund - launch of minimum 4 equity funds for business scaling; IMM Digital - vouchers for the purchase of digitization packages for microenterprises, number of beneficiaries - 5.000 micro-enterprises/year, 20.000 in 4 years, grant value of 5.000 euro/beneficiary; Student First Company - number of beneficiaries - 1.000 start-ups per year/4.000 start-ups in 4 years, grant value of 50.000 euro/beneficiary.
In addition, programs are also targeted: Export Romania - support for the financing of companies to enter other markets, grants to prepare the business for internationalization, number of beneficiaries - 2,000 SMEs, grant amount of 10.000 euro/beneficiary; Professional Romania - granting of vouchers in order to support the qualification and re-qualification of employees, between 100 - 800 euro, number of beneficiaries - 10.000 persons/year; Women In Tech - number of beneficiaries - 1.000 SMEs per year/ 4.000 SMEs in 4 years, grant value: 50.000 euro/beneficiary.
SME Romania also proposes measures that do not require a financial component: reduction of administrative burdens (any normative act that introduces new reporting or compliance obligations has to propose the elimination of at least two other obligations), de-bureaucratization (elimination of unnecessary bureaucratic procedures), simplification (unification of entities that apply and collect various taxes), taxation of unregistered providers and elimination of unfair competition, etc.
According to the confederation, the approval of support measures for entrepreneurs means a competitive business environment able to face competition in a market where products and services from the Mercosur area and, most likely in the future, from India and Australia, countries with which the EU wants to conclude free trade agreements.
Florin Jianu mentioned that the need for financing through the proposed programs was evaluated by IMM Romania between 5 and 10 billion lei, ‘if we take into account what IMM Invest meant, which annually had a budget between 10 and 13 billion lei and which was exhausted’.
According to the employers' confederation, the governmental measures in Package 1 and 2 have increased taxation and costs for the business environment, the impact being felt throughout the Romanian economy (80% of businesses say they have been affected), in addition to the increase in electricity prices by 60.91% in December 2025 compared to December 2024 and an annual inflation of 9.7%, according to the latest INS report on inflation and consumer price inflation - December 2025.