Armonaitė is the first business support package – we will launch it next week

Simonas Krėpšta, senior adviser to the president and head of the Economic and Social Policy Group, told a press conference that the first business support package would be launched and activated immediately.

“The economic health of the country is not the best. Recent unemployment figures show that unemployment is above 10%. And above the EU average of 7.5%.

Before the pandemic, we did not distinguish ourselves from the EU in terms of unemployment and we see that the crisis has affected us, and under strict quarantine, many companies have limited their activities and are experiencing serious financial difficulties.

The minister informed the president today about the plans to immediately activate the first package of business aid, which will amount to 180 million. Eur, “he said, assuring that most of the package would be subsidies, which should work quickly and be linked to taxes paid.”

According to the president, as S. Krėpšta said, it is very important to link support to the amount of taxes paid by companies, because it strengthens trust in the state and supports companies that have paid the most fairly.

The Minister informed that a second package is being prepared for the business, which will be activated a little later, in the coming months, when the business will be able to leave the strict quarantine conditions. The minister emphasized that dermal behavior will be given to small and medium-sized companies, which, according to European agencies, are disproportionately more vulnerable to COVID-19, ”he said.

A. Armonaitė assured that the first business support package should be available next week and that companies will be able to start submitting requests.

“It just came to our notice then. We talked about how to help quarantined companies. According to our estimates, at least 30 percent currently around 94 thousand. Lithuanian companies, which are a large number, and our goal is to preserve their viability .

Last week, I appealed to LVPA and INVEGA, which report to the Ministry of Economy and administer trade support, to speed up preparations to accept trade applications so that the process can start next week.

The first business support package, which we are preparing to launch next week, will amount to 150 million. EUR for grants and EUR 30 million EUR loans, ”he said, adding that the second aid package would amount to another 150 million euros. EUR.

The Minister also alluded to the second package.

“As our priority is to help companies and preserve jobs, we have found another 150 million in the internal resources of the Ministry. Eur and we are preparing the second business support package, ”he said.

He also said that overall, both with the first and second business support packages and with the downtime managed by the Ministry of Social Security and Labor, more than 500 million euros will be injected into the economy. EUR.

“We are ready to work fast,” he said.

When asked to clarify what the second business support package would look like, the minister said it would be aimed at the self-employed.

“Currently the self-employed receive a monthly payment of 260 Eur, I am both a politician and a citizen, with such money it is impossible to survive, so we want to direct the resources found to them.

The measure itself will be similar to the subsidy and linked to the taxes paid, but I would like to emphasize once again that we will coordinate the final concept of the second package with the social partners, the Prime Minister and announce it to the public soon, ”said A. Armonaitė .

According to A. Armonaitė, the second package of business assistance should start when agreed with the social partners, the Government and the European Commission.

“I think we can talk about February,” said the minister.