The ESF work stream of fi-compass features a number of new activities in 2019. To help develop future fi-compass actions, both in the short and longer term, a stakeholder survey will aim at gathering feedback and opinions from ESF practitioners.
The start of 2019 has seen a number of new resources for ERDF practitioners published on the fi-compass website. The event page for FI Campus 2018 is now online with links to all the materials from our flagship event. The new event page for the FIRECE project features materials on energy efficiency, which is also the theme of our new case study from Greece to be published shortly.
Founded in 2017, the Italian region of Lombardy’s AL VIA programme has taken important steps to help revive the regional economy in the wake of the financial crisis.
The AL VIA financial instrument provides mid- to long-term assistance to small and medium-sized businesses in the form of loans and guarantees, releasing up to EUR370 million of financing.
fi-compass stakeholders now have a new tool to share and explore information about ESIF financial instruments in each Member State, the fi-compass Country Data Pages.
The fi-compass website showcases an increasing library of video case studies and interviews highlighting multiple ways that managing authorities have implemented financial instruments, offering insightful advice from the practitioners.
These success stories feature all ESI Funds and multiple Member States, including different objectives, implementation options and financial products. Examples from loan funds highlight support for fishing communities, energy efficiency, young farmers, social enterprises, SMEs and self-employment, and an equity fund for start-ups.
Financial instruments for young farmers, rural infrastructure and other agri-food investments are among some of the hot topics being advanced by Member States and the European Commission through fi-compass in 2019. Our activities in these European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) fields include events and studies that improve know-how and share experience around rural Europe about EAFRD financial instruments.
Nouvelle-Aquitaine has a new ESIF financial instrument that was launched in November 2018 named Alter’NA (Alternative en Nouvelle-Aquitaine). Alter’NA, which is managed by the European Investment Fund (EIF) on behalf of the managing authority, aims to help 1 500 farmers and agri-businesses to access credit financing at better terms, like discounted interest rates and reduced collateral requirements.
The European Commission, Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) with the support of fi-compass are conducting a study aimed at assessing the experience of using (or not using) financial instruments financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) and exploring the potential use of financial instruments post-2020.
