With accession to the European Union private firms in Romania of all sizes and in all sectors have become eligible to receive various new forms of assistance aid including grants. These include programs to train personnel and capitalize businesses through activities like renovations and purchases of equipment. There are programs aimed at all sizes of business from micro-enterprises to the largest companies. Programs are available for almost every sector and type of business.

Tens of billions of Euros are allocated for these programs in Romania for the period of 2007-2013. Though most Romanian companies may be eligible to receive funds from one program or another the process can be challenging. The eligibility criteria are complex. Assembly and preparation of the materials in the required format can be challenging and time-consuming, particularly for micro- and small enterprises. The administrative capacity of the government of Romania to manage these huge programs is limited as are their resources to provide technical assistance to applicants. In other recent accession countries absorption of EU funds through programs like these has been as low as single digits in the first years. That means that large amounts of assistance allocated and intended to be given to eligible recipients simply could not be handed out fast enough.

Seneca stands ready to help you achieve your EU assistance goals and help ensure that your first application is a successful one. We will:

• Work with you to identify your eligibility for programs;
• Manage the collection and assembly of your application packet;
• Work with you to develop key required documents that you may not have such as long-range financial projections and business plans;
• Verify legal and regulatory compliance of the packet and submitted materials;
• Supervise the submittal and approval process to ensure that your application packet is reviewed by the government in a timely manner;
• Ensure that any deficiencies that are identified are resolved quickly and don’t result in packet rejection.

Upon successful review of your application and an award there are further obligations. During the period in which you receive EU assistance you must properly document your expenditures and activities in order to receive reimbursement. Seneca will be your partner through this execution phase to manage the necessary reporting. We’ll help make sure you get what you are owed and that you get it on time.

As a busy entrepreneur you want to focus on what matters to your bottom line – using the EU assistance you receive in your daily business operations so you can maximize your profits and improve your competitiveness. Seneca can lift the burden of the complicated paperwork from your shoulders. Contact us today to discuss your project or assistance concept. Through a brief discussion and simple survey we can start to narrow down your eligibility for different programs and begin to discuss your application strategy.

Seneca focuses on assistance programs for micro-, small- and medium-size businesses in the following fields:

• Manufacturing
• Transportation
• Tourism
• Agriculture
• Telecom
• Information Technology
• Services
• Energy