Government representatives announced last week that intense negotiations were under way with all the major Czech banks to provide low-cost loans and financing for EU
structural fund projects starting next year.
While the three largest banks say they are ready and willing to get on board, representatives of Ceskoslovenska Obchodni Banka (CSOB) have raised concerns over Ministry of Industry and Trade projects for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It is not yet clear how funding programmes for SMEs will operate, they warned, and they said that Czech business people have not been given sufficient information as to how
tough obtaining EU funding could be.
Representatives of government investment agency CzechInvest, which will coordinate and implement EU projects for SMEs, admitted that while there have been some problems, the government is working as fast as it can to resolve them and provide SMEs with advice and practical help as soon as possible.
