Entrepreneurship in Spain, as in other countries, requires more than talent, patience and knowledge. It requires money. And not a little bit. Despite initiatives such as ‘flat rate’ launched to support the self-employed, the monthly payments that the self-employed must pay can take a significant share of their income. Especially when it comes to young people starting a business project. In this environment, the Generalitat of Catalonia decided to activate a helpline worth around 16,000 euros, designed for the youngest self-employed workers who have not yet turned 30.

Purpose: To promote entrepreneurship.

And take other big challenges in the process: youth unemployment and rural depopulation.

13 million injection. This is the amount the Generalitat will allocate to its new appeal for aid to “promote self-employment” among young people: 13 million euros, 40% of which is co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus.

More precisely, the initiative, channeled through the Business and Study area, provides subsidies of 15,876 euros to support young people who take the step of starting their own professional projects as self-employed workers. To demonstrate its success, the administration reminds that it allocated $37.1 million to the last two appeals and 2,599 beneficiaries received assistance.

young freelancers. The focus is on a very specific profile: young freelancers and entrepreneurs. The measure targets people under 30, self-employed and undertaking projects lasting a year and a half. “The program includes a subsidy of 15,876 euros for young people aged 18 to 29 who start an economic or professional activity as self-employed and maintain it for at least 18 months,” it notes.

The Catalan Government’s stated aim is to help them implement their projects by “guaranteeing a minimum income” at the beginning of their business adventure. The amount of aid from the Generalitat actually coincides with the 2021 minimum interprofessional salary (SMI)4, which is distributed into 14 payments of 1,134 euros.

Unemployment… and population decline. With its program, the Generalitat aims to kill two birds with one stone: to combat youth unemployment, a problem that makes Spain stand out in the social panorama, and to stop population decline in the process. The initiative allocates 500,000 euros for a very specific profile who, in addition to being 30 years old and registered as self-employed, must also meet an extra requirement: this special item targets young people who are “micro-micro” taxpayers. towns.” “, places with a population of less than 500 people.

The administration even offers a list of 337 towns spread across the Catalan geography, such as Aguilar de Segarra, Albanyà, Alins or Foixà. “It wants to help combat the depopulation of rural areas and prevent many young people from having to leave to find work,” he explains. This measure thus joins other measures already in place to combat population decline, which have even led to tax cuts for those moving to these towns.

Requirements and dates. There is a more detailed explanation of the call from the Generalitat. For example, interested parties must appear as “registered beneficiaries” in the Youth Guarantee records; The self-employment adventure must have started within a certain period of time, that is, between September 20 of the previous year and at least the day they applied.

Their tax residence will need to be in Catalonia for 18 months, the beneficiary will need to participate in training activities and show that they have pursued the activity for at least one year for which they receive assistance with a minimum percentage of income and half. And the importance of the “uninterrupted” call is emphasized. During this period, you cannot also be hired as an employee.

The deadline for aid applications is now open and can be submitted until 14:00 on July 15. For the procedure, interested parties must use one of these two channels of the Catalan Generalitat. HE Official Diary It contains more information, such as different subsidy amounts or various mismatches if you exceed 12 months but do not reach 18 years of age. For example, it is stated that the call is “incompatible with any other subsidies aimed at integrating young people receiving benefits into the labor market.”

make it easy for you. The Catalan administration emphasizes that its main aim is to “encourage self-employment among young people” and to help young entrepreneurs under the age of 30 “to pursue their long-term projects”. One of the challenges facing entrepreneurship is the cost of starting a personal project, including freelance fees, which can reach 225 euros for lower-income professionals. With its design, the Generalitat also aims to combat youth unemployment and, in the process, contribute to the formation of the population in rural environments.

Image | Rivage (Unsplash)

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