At issue is the lack of certificate proving the status of Small and Medium Enterprises. The Ministry of Economy guarantees that it is already working on a solution so as not to harm eligible companies.
Several Portuguese companies are facing notices to return community funds received for investment in projects.
The problem lies in the failure to present the certificate which proves the status of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), a fundamental requirement for eligibility. The Government is already working on a solution to mitigate the impacts of this situation.
Ana Jacinto, general secretary of the Hotel, Restaurant and Similar Association of Portugal, explains that she received reports from several companies that “they were being notified, not to suffer a penalty, but to return all the funds they had received, because they were not they had delivered the PME certificate”.
The person responsible emphasizes that the situation is particularly frustrating because the State There are other ways to prove SME status.
Luís Miguel Ribeiro, president of the Portuguese Business Association (AEP), also confirmed the seriousness of the situation, which he considers to be an example of how bureaucracy “can affect the good use of resourceswhich are so necessary for the competitiveness of our companies”.
According to the Ministry of Economy (ME), there are still no concrete numbers on the total number of companies notified or the values in question. However, it was assured that a global assessment coordinated by the Compete 2030 program is underway.
In collaboration with AICEP and regional funding programs, a solution is being implemented to ensure that companies that were eligible at the time of the pre-accession agreement can maintain this status. SME certification will be obtained through the opinion of a chartered accountant.
According to AEP, many companies were unable to submit the certificate SME within the stipulated deadline due to time lags on the IAPMEI platform, responsible for issuing the document.
Although these failures are considered formal and not substantial, notifications for the return of funds are generating uncertainty among businesspeople.
AEP reinforces that proof of SME status is also included in the Simplified Business Information, a database accessible to the State.
