The call for "Self-Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment: Business Microcredit Fund" is part of the initiative "Marginal resistance: circular economy model for the development of territory-specific occupations" (hereinafter referred to as the "Project') - identified with the code AID 012314 /02/5 – approved and approved for funding within the Call for concessional contributions for initiatives presented by local authorities for "Promotion of territorial partnerships and territorial implementation of the 2030 Agenda" Official Journal of the Italian Republic, dated December 27, 2019 , no. 302.
The project is carried out in Territorial Partnership with the following subjects: Region of Apulia as the Main Partner, District of Vlora, Municipality of Vlora and Municipality of Himara, as beneficiary Party; The Administration of the Province of Lecce, the Municipality of Casalvecchio in the Region of Puglia, the Group of Local Initiatives (GAL) Meridaunia and Business Albania, as partners; The National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) Puglia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Albania and the National Agency of the Diaspora of
Republic of Albania, as Associate Partners. The project has a total duration of 36 (thirty-six) months, starting on February 15, 2022.
The overall objective of the Initiative is to orient the territorial development processes towards the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and to improve the governing capacity of local authorities targeted for the planning and implementation of place-based policies, or in other words, policies that are based on the characteristics of the territory where project activities are carried out. In particular, the project has the following goals:
- to improve the planning capacity, seen from the perspective of the sustainable development of the territory, in accordance with the principles of the circular economy;
- to improve the level of services offered to citizens by targeted public administrations, increasing the local socio-economic potential and specific territorial trends, in accordance with the principles of the circular economy.
These objectives can be achieved by carrying out a planning in a wide area, which, in an effort to promote the uniqueness and local characteristics, will also contribute to the reduction of the territorial gap between the interior of the land and the coast. The project includes the implementation of a number of activities, such as:
Defining a Strategic Plan for Territorial Trends, or more precisely, a strategy for evaluating local characteristics;
- Creation of a micro center for the collection and processing of agricultural products, after an appropriate training course has been completed and appropriate marketing actions have been followed;
- The creation of a micro center for the processing of dairy products, which includes product qualification activities and the launch of youth start-ups, activated through the provision of micro-loans;
- Innovative communication activities, to give visibility to the project and to strengthen the institutional work network.
In order to implement the facilitating conditions mentioned in this Call, the Province of Leçe and Business Albania, as a partner of the Initiative, and the Municipality of Himarë, as the Counterparty, aim to support entrepreneurial initiatives in the function of the milk production processing center through the microcredit instrument.
The project is carried out in Territorial Partnership with the following subjects: Region of Apulia as the Main Partner, District of Vlora, Municipality of Vlora and Municipality of Himara, as beneficiary Party; The Administration of the Province of Lecce, the Municipality of Casalvecchio in the Region of Puglia, the Group of Local Initiatives (GAL) Meridaunia and Business Albania, as partners; The National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI) Puglia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Republic of Albania and the National Agency of the Diaspora of
Republic of Albania, as Associate Partners. The project has a total duration of 36 (thirty-six) months, starting on February 15, 2022.
The overall objective of the Initiative is to orient the territorial development processes towards the objectives of the 2030 Agenda and to improve the governing capacity of local authorities targeted for the planning and implementation of place-based policies, or in other words, policies that are based on the characteristics of the territory where project activities are carried out. In particular, the project has the following goals:
- to improve the planning capacity, seen from the perspective of the sustainable development of the territory, in accordance with the principles of the circular economy;
- to improve the level of services offered to citizens by targeted public administrations, increasing the local socio-economic potential and specific territorial trends, in accordance with the principles of the circular economy.
These objectives can be achieved by carrying out a planning in a wide area, which, in an effort to promote the uniqueness and local characteristics, will also contribute to the reduction of the territorial gap between the interior of the land and the coast. The project includes the implementation of a number of activities, such as:
Defining a Strategic Plan for Territorial Trends, or more precisely, a strategy for evaluating local characteristics;
- Creation of a micro center for the collection and processing of agricultural products, after an appropriate training course has been completed and appropriate marketing actions have been followed;
- The creation of a micro center for the processing of dairy products, which includes product qualification activities and the launch of youth start-ups, activated through the provision of micro-loans;
- Innovative communication activities, to give visibility to the project and to strengthen the institutional work network.
In order to implement the facilitating conditions mentioned in this Call, the Province of Leçe and Business Albania, as a partner of the Initiative, and the Municipality of Himarë, as the Counterparty, aim to support entrepreneurial initiatives in the function of the milk production processing center through the microcredit instrument.
OBJECT AND PURPOSE OF CALL
The purpose of this call is to select the beneficiaries of the facilitating loan conditions for the "Self-entrepreneurship and Self-Employment: Business Microcredit Fund" initiative.
The Microcredit Fund provides credit through facilitating interventions, supporting the birth of new businesses or the strengthening of existing micro businesses, both through direct incentives and through the provision of services; microcredit offers concrete financial support, especially for those who do not meet the conditions or do not have the capital to enter
the traditional credit market. The microcredit instrument enables the improvement of the procedures for obtaining the loan, thereby facilitating disadvantaged persons, those in difficult social situations or persons with a low level of education.
The microcredit is also aimed at creating youth businesses, as well as strengthening skills oriented towards the production and sale of dairy products. In the Himara area, many families live on the income of their small agricultural businesses or
simply thanks to the work of individuals, which takes place in a context of the informal economy; the difficulty of obtaining bank loans due to the insufficiency or lack of real guarantees and due to the small size of the enterprises, which are considered too small by traditional banks, does not allow these productive activities to start and develop freely according to market rules. In particular, we refer to those activities in the agricultural and livestock sector that are often neglected by the national laws that contain facilities for these businesses, but that over time, have gained more and more importance and often represent the discriminating element for success of a territory, considering even the powerful innovation of the process and the product, in which these sectors are interested in the transition from the traditional system to the mechanized one and that of industrial production. Qualification services for the existing production of dairy products will be activated through the improvement of production standards, with the help of equipment that takes care of the hygienic-sanitary and quality aspects of the products. Actions that facilitate the introduction of products to the local and national market will be implemented, as well as actions for the recognition of certification, based on production protocols and the involvement of certification bodies in Albania to increase the value of typical local dairy products. This type of support will be given especially to farmers and ranchers who already operate in the area.
The purpose of this call is to select the beneficiaries of the facilitating loan conditions for the "Self-entrepreneurship and Self-Employment: Business Microcredit Fund" initiative.
The Microcredit Fund provides credit through facilitating interventions, supporting the birth of new businesses or the strengthening of existing micro businesses, both through direct incentives and through the provision of services; microcredit offers concrete financial support, especially for those who do not meet the conditions or do not have the capital to enter
the traditional credit market. The microcredit instrument enables the improvement of the procedures for obtaining the loan, thereby facilitating disadvantaged persons, those in difficult social situations or persons with a low level of education.
The microcredit is also aimed at creating youth businesses, as well as strengthening skills oriented towards the production and sale of dairy products. In the Himara area, many families live on the income of their small agricultural businesses or
simply thanks to the work of individuals, which takes place in a context of the informal economy; the difficulty of obtaining bank loans due to the insufficiency or lack of real guarantees and due to the small size of the enterprises, which are considered too small by traditional banks, does not allow these productive activities to start and develop freely according to market rules. In particular, we refer to those activities in the agricultural and livestock sector that are often neglected by the national laws that contain facilities for these businesses, but that over time, have gained more and more importance and often represent the discriminating element for success of a territory, considering even the powerful innovation of the process and the product, in which these sectors are interested in the transition from the traditional system to the mechanized one and that of industrial production. Qualification services for the existing production of dairy products will be activated through the improvement of production standards, with the help of equipment that takes care of the hygienic-sanitary and quality aspects of the products. Actions that facilitate the introduction of products to the local and national market will be implemented, as well as actions for the recognition of certification, based on production protocols and the involvement of certification bodies in Albania to increase the value of typical local dairy products. This type of support will be given especially to farmers and ranchers who already operate in the area.
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