This document is an excerpt from the EUR-Lex website
Programmes encouraging the development of microfinance in the EU
This summary has been archived and will not be updated. See 'European Social Fund Plus — ESF+ (2021-2027)' for an updated information about the subject.
Under the decision, the facility, which had a budget of €100 million over 4 years (2010-2013), was designed to make microfinance more easily accessible to the following target groups:
For the 2014-2020 period, under Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013, this initiative was included in the microfinance and social entrepreneurship strand of the EU EaSI programme that has taken over from the Progress Microfinance instrument. Regulation (EU, EURATOM) 2018/1046 on the financial rules governing the EU budget updated the indicative percentage applicable on average over the whole period of the programme to the 3 axes*. As a result, at least 18% of the total budget should be used for microfinance and social entrepreneurship.
Not only does EaSI allow target populations and enterprises to access microfinance more easily, but it also aims to:
Provided that they grant microfinance to people and microenterprises or financing to social enterprises, the microfinance and social entrepreneurship strand can be accessed by public and private bodies established in the EU countries, Iceland, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey. EU support is mainly through the financial instruments provided for in the EU’s financial regulation (Regulation (EU) 2018/1046) which, among other things, amends Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013 and updates and simplifies the rules applicable to the EU’s general budget.
For more information, see:
Decision No 283/2010/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 March 2010 establishing a European Progress Microfinance Facility for employment and social inclusion (OJ L 87, 7.4.2010, pp. 1-5)
Successive amendments to Decision No 283/2010/EU have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
Regulation (EU) No 1296/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 on a European Union Programme for Employment and Social Innovation (‘EaSI’) and amending Decision No 283/2010/EU establishing a European Progress Microfinance Facility for employment and social inclusion (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, pp. 238-252)
See consolidated version.
Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, amending Regulations (EU) No 1296/2013, (EU) No 1301/2013, (EU) No 1303/2013, (EU) No 1304/2013, (EU) No 1309/2013, (EU) No 1316/2013, (EU) No 223/2014, (EU) No 283/2014, and Decision No 541/2014/EU and repealing Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 (OJ L 193, 30.7.2018, pp. 1-222)
last update 21.02.2020