2009.03.10. 19:58
306bn available to businesses suffering effects of crisis
<b>Budapest</b> - The government will make HUF 306bn in state and EU money available to businesses to preserve jobs, maintain production and make profile changes, <em>Istvan Tukacs</em>, state secretary in charge of steps Hungary is taking to manage the economic crisis, said on Tuesday.
Some HUF 46bn will be available for job preservation programmes, HUF 70bn for making changes to business profiles, HUF 20bn for regional crisis management, to be worked out with local players, and HUF 170bn to provide credit for current assets Mr Tukacs said.
The current assets loans will be available to food processors, with the approval of Brussels, he added.
The job preservation programmes will first take the form of wage subsidies of HUF 16bn made available through the National Employment Foundation and at local employment offices.
Some HUF 30bn will be available under the "4+1" programme, which supports companies that reduce working time in order to save jobs, but replace the down time with accredited instruction.
Companies that have been cited for minor infringements of employment regulations will be allowed to apply for the funding, Mr Tukacs said.
