28th January 2025, Skopje – EUR 250 million under the bilateral Hungarian Loan Facility have been made available. Government reached a decision to make these funds available to the Macedonian business sector, more precisely the companies, as announced by Minister of Finance, Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska, at Today’s joint press conference with Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, following the adoption of the credit line agreements for financing investments and development of private companies, which will be made available to the final beneficiaries by the Development Bank via the commercial banks.
“By adopting these Government’s decisions, we are entering the final phase of making the Hungarian Loan Facility funds available to the companies. By signing these agreements, the Budget funds will be transferred to the Development Bank, to be afterwards forwarded to the commercial banks participating in this Program, thus making them available to the companies. “By signing these agreements, funds under the credit line for financing investments and development of private companies, amounting to EUR 250 million in Denar equivalent, are to be made available via the commercial banks,” Minister said.
She thereby underlined the exceptionally favourable terms and conditions, including 1.95% interest rate, repayment period of up to 15 years, and a 3-year grace period.
As per the Minister, this provides the companies with great opportunity to get motivated and engage in investments.
“The goal was to create opportunities for implementing sustainable investments, hence the reason for targeting the support towards all sectors in view of making investments in fixed assets, wherefor domestic companies’ share should account for 20% of their own funds. This wide-ranging support excludes the sectors: Manufacture or trade in alcoholic beverages, except for beer and wine, Manufacture or trade in tobacco, as well as the activities related to gambling, casinos, and similar enterprises,” Minister said.
She underlined the responsibility of the Government and the Ministry to provide fair conditions for all companies, in other words, the funds will be allocated transparently whereby each company will be provided with equal both opportunities and conditions for their employment.
“The support we are providing under this credit line will contribute to boosted investment cycle of over EUR 250 million, which is part of our new concept for economic growth based upon investments, thus resulting in increased productivity of the companies, which was a challenge recognized in the previous period. This is the very benefit we anticipate from this measure, in the light of which the Government put maximum efforts to ensure that the funds will be made available to the companies under remarkably favorable terms and conditions,” Minister of Finance stated.
