The Department of Business and Labor today opened the deadline to apply for new aid aimed at self-employed workers, micro-enterprises and cooperatives. The objective of the benefit, which is part of the new program "Occupation Transformation" financed with European funds, is to ensure that companies and freelancers maintain jobs for at least six months, as well as facilitate their digitization and transition towards a green economy.
The aid can be requested from this Wednesday, July 6, at 9 a.m. until July 27 at 3 p.m. The request can only be made through these two channels: canalempresa.gencat.cat or tramits.gencat.cat.
The total budget of the aid, financed with the React-EU funds, is 45.5 million euros, although the open call today is 38.5 million. The rest will be distributed in a second call that will open next year. According to the statement, it is the largest direct aid program aimed at these groups that has been carried out to date, only surpassed by the aid that was granted in the last two years to alleviate the economic effects caused by the pandemic.
With this initiative, the Government intends to offset part of the salary costs, in addition to helping the digitalisation of entities and the energy transition. Companies, freelancers and cooperatives that have between one and five salaried people, at least one work center in Catalonia and whose turnover in 2020 does not exceed two million euros will be eligible for the aid.
The subsidy is 5,000 euros and the entities that receive it must commit to maintaining the jobs for at least half a year from the request for the aid. Within this period of time, companies must also carry out training activities that facilitate the transition of their productive activity to a green or digital economy.
