Minister of Economic Development Maxim Reshetnikov, at a meeting of the government commission for the development of the sector, chaired by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, listed four priorities for the development of Russian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this respect writer newspaper “Vedomosti”.
Minister approved Information on the four categories of SMEs that need support, as previously announced by RBC – start-ups, growing organizations, businesses from priority sectors. These industries include IT and manufacturing. Another category is companies that exceed the SME income bar, namely “SME+”. He explained that the priorities were determined based on the information analyzed by the authorities on the results of the national project “Supporting Small and Medium Enterprises and Individual Entrepreneurship Initiatives”.
In particular, Reshetnikov suggested giving startups access to special support measures. These include guarantees from regional guarantee organizations (RGOs), grants, and concessional microloans. It will now only be given to startups. It was also suggested to organize competence centers for beginners on the basis of Digital Platform, SME and My Business centers. Talking about supporting growing companies, the minister highlighted issues with complex reporting and tax burdens. For enterprises from priority sectors, Reshetnikov considers soft loans, umbrella guarantees, clearing instruments and the creation of a production infrastructure necessary. For “SME +”, it was proposed to develop financial support tools, including preferential loans and guarantees.
As Tatyana Ilyushnikova, Reshetnikov’s deputy (who is in charge of the SME sector in the Ministry of Economy), told Vedomosti that the existing national project will be replaced by a new enterprise. She said authorities are working on it and the work is expected to be completed by the end of the year.