Start-up for Youth and Migrants

Submission of Application Forms

Applications to the Program shall be submitted electronically via the online platform, accompanied by the Application Form signed with an advanced qualified electronic signature by the applicant, along with the required documentation package. The required documents are as follows:

Table 1

Table 2

Tabel 3

All fields within the electronic Application Form shall be completed mandatorily. Failure to fully and coherently complete all sections of the Application Form, or to submit a complete set of required documents, will result in the applicant receiving a formal notification, granting a reasonable period for rectification. From the date of notification, the applicant shall submit the outstanding documentation within a maximum of ten (10) business days.

Only correctly completed application files, comprising the Application Form and all requisite annexes, shall be registered and subjected to evaluation by the I.P. CMDA in accordance with the Program’s eligibility criteria.

CMDA, as the designated unit responsible for the receipt and processing of Application Forms, shall oversee the downloading, printing, and compilation of the applicant’s file.

The conformity assessment of the file shall commence upon receipt of the Application Form and shall include:

1. a) Verification of the completeness of the submitted documentation package;
2. b) Evaluation of the accuracy and completeness of the documentation;
3. c) Verification of signatures’ authenticity and their correspondence to authorized signatories or verification of the legal basis granting such authority;
4. d) Assessment of the consistency of information contained in the submitted documents with the actual status of the founder, administrator, and other relevant parties, including cross-checking with publicly accessible registries;
5. e) Examination of prior receipt of state aid under other programs;
6. f) Verification of the applicant’s compliance with the Program’s eligibility criteria and sectoral priorities;
7. g) Execution of additional verification measures as deemed necessary.

The file shall be sequentially paginated and officially registered to preclude the removal or substitution of documents. At the stage of contract execution, each electronically submitted document shall be cross-verified with its original counterpart, either endorsed with a “certified true copy” stamp or provided with an advanced qualified electronic signature accompanied by a declaration of authenticity.

Files fulfilling all compliance and eligibility requirements shall be considered complete and recorded following to the internal memorandum. Subsequent to registration, no amendments or additions to the file shall be permitted. The applicant shall be formally notified via email regarding the registration of their complete file.

Files failing to satisfy all compliance and eligibility criteria shall be classified as ineligible and archived according to established procedures. Applicants shall be properly be informed via email of the grounds for rejection.

Selected applicants may be invited to participate, where applicable, in entrepreneurial training sessions organized by CMDA, the Chisinau Municipal Authorities, and/or their partners.

Only correctly completed files, approved by CMDA shall be eligible for the pre-financing evaluation phase.

The pre-financing evaluation procedure aims to appraise the conformity of applicants and investment projects with the Program’s objectives and priorities, assess the effectiveness of project implementation plans, verify the capacity to achieve anticipated outcome and impact indicators, and identify potential risks associated with the implementation of the investment project.

Evaluation procedure

Compliance assessment – entails a thorough examination of the application file to ensure conformity with the Program’s eligibility criteria and other compliance requirements. This review includes:

• Verification of the authenticity and validity of submitted documentation;
• Identification of any potential conflicts of interest;
• Assessment of the correlation between the requested financial support and the enterprise’s growth potential and/or competitiveness;
• Determination of the necessity for holding permits, certifications, or standards at this stage;
• Verification of consistency between data obtained from publicly accessible registries and information provided by the beneficiaries.

Investment project assessment – involves a comprehensive evaluation of the feasibility and alignment of the proposed investment project with the Program’s objectives and priorities. This assessment shall include:

• Verification of compliance with co-financing requirements stipulated by the Program;
• Review of financing or co-financing of investment components sourced from other assistance programs or projects (including both own contributions and grant funds);
• Evaluation of the alignment of the submitted project with the applicant’s field of activity and strategic development plans;
• Scrutiny of the feasibility of projected costs and budgets, ensuring adherence to the Program’s lists of eligible and ineligible expenditures (Annexes 3 and 4);
• Technical-economic appraisal of the investment project, including assessment of its anticipated impact on business development, products/services, process optimization, efficiency enhancement, and resource consumption reduction;
• Evaluation of the applicant’s and project team’s capacity, including personnel qualifications and competencies, to successfully implement the project.

Risk assessment – consists of identifying and assessing risks potentially impeding the successful execution of the investment project and/or business operations. This evaluation focuses on the applicant’s ability to carry out the proposed investment, manage the enterprise, and realize expected outcomes in accordance with the approved budget. Based on identified risk factors, the file will be assigned a risk rating—high, medium, or low—which will inform the final funding decision.

The pre-financing evaluation of files shall be conducted pursuant to the established Evaluation Grid.

Applicants attaining the minimum threshold score may receive recommendations aimed at enhancing the investment project, staff training, and/or documentation amendments.

Evaluation outcomes shall be documented in the Examination Report, which constitutes a comprehensive summary intended to provide the Coordination Council with the necessary information to make informed final decisions. This report must include a conclusive recommendation regarding project financing or rejection, correctly signed by the pre-financing evaluators and their immediate supervisor.

Where considered necessary, expert opinions from external specialists may be solicited during the pre-financing evaluation to provide a technical review of the project’s conformity with Program priorities.

As appropriate, interviews and/or on-site inspections may be conducted during the pre-financing evaluation phase:

• Interviews, conducted via phone, online platforms, or in-person, are designed to appraise the applicant’s capacity to successfully implement the investment project. Findings from these interviews shall be incorporated into the Examination Report.
• Site visits aim to verify the applicant’s intention to execute the investment, confirm the existence, legality, and operational status of the business, and validate related economic and financial activities. Conclusions from site visits shall be documented within the Examination Report.

Only non-substantive amendments to the investment project shall be permitted during the pre-financing evaluation phase. Requests for substantial modifications or complete overhaul of the investment project shall result in rejection of the file, with an option to reinitiate the application process.

Approval of financial support

The final decision regarding the approval or rejection of investment project financing shall be made by the Coordination Council of the Program and properly recorded in the official minutes of the meeting.

During the approval process, the Coordination Council shall assess the conformity of investment projects with the Program’s objectives, priorities, and requirements, taking into account the project’s business viability, the achievement of performance indicators, and its anticipated economic impact.

Approval of files for financing shall be based strictly on the results derived from the pre-financing Evaluation Grid.

Grounds for rejection of an applicant’s file shall include, but are not limited to:

• Failure to meet the Program’s eligibility criteria;
• Failure to obtain the minimum qualifying score as stipulated in the Evaluation Grid;
• Inaccurate or incomplete completion of the Program Application Form;
• Submission of documents or declarations found to be fraudulent or materially inaccurate;
• Lack of viability of the investment project;
• Investment items (both from the applicant’s own contribution and the non-reimbursable financial support) having been financed or co-financed by other assistance programs or projects, or lacking relevance to the applicant’s line of business;
• Classification of the file as high-risk following risk assessment.

The pre-financing evaluation process shall finalize with the drafting of the official minutes of the Coordination Council meeting for the Municipal Program “Start for Youth and Migrants,” which shall record the status “Approved” for each file reviewed, listed according to the sequence of receipt and examination. Following this, based on the official minutes, CMDA shall prepare and negotiate, with each applicant, the non-reimbursable financing agreement, including terms and conditions of the investment. Such agreements shall be executed by the Mayor, the Chairperson of the Coordination Council of the Municipal Program “Start for Youth and Migrants,” or an authorized delegate appointed by the mayor’s directive.

For files that are rejected, within five (5) business days from the date of signing the Coordination Council’s official minutes, CMDA, acting as the entity responsible for pre-financing evaluation, shall notify the applicants in writing of the grounds for rejection. Rejected files shall be archived in accordance with established procedures.

Execution of the financing agreement

Within five (5) business days following the execution of the minutes of the Coordination Council meeting for the Municipal Program “Start for Youth and Migrants,” CMDA, acting as the division responsible for beneficiary relations, shall formally notify the applicant by phone and e-mail regarding the decision issued, including details on the scheduled timeframe for the execution of the financing agreement.

The individual applicant whose file has been approved for financing is hereby obligated to establish a legal entity within thirty (30) calendar days from the date of approval and to submit the required documents via e-mail. Failure to comply with this requirement shall result in the forfeiture of the non-reimbursable financial support.

The preparation of the financing agreement shall be undertaken by CMDA in accordance with the approved standard template. Thereafter, the execution of the non-reimbursable financing agreements shall proceed in accordance with the procedures established by the Program.

The financing agreement shall be executed by the parties as follows:

• Handwritten (wet) signature—in duplicate originals, one copy of which shall be delivered to the beneficiary, and the other retained by CMDA;
• Qualified advanced electronic signature—provided that both contracting parties have consented to conclude the agreement through electronic document exchange.

Should any discrepancies or deficiencies be identified in the submitted information, or if the applicant fails to execute the financing agreement within the prescribed deadlines, CMDA, as the division responsible for beneficiary relations, shall notify the applicant in writing of the rejection of financing within ten (10) business days following such decision.

By executing the financing agreement, the beneficiary irrevocably commits to fully implement, within the agreed timeframe, all activities described in the investment project and to comply with all contractual provisions, thereby ensuring the attainment of the stipulated results and the fulfillment of the investment’s objectives and purpose

Contract Implementation Procedure

Upon signing the financing agreement, the beneficiary shall carry out the investment using their own contribution and shall submit, within the timeframe stipulated in the contract, supporting documentation attesting to the completion of the investment.

Following the review of the submitted supporting documents, CMDA shall issue a memorandum on the eligibility for disbursement of the non-reimbursable financial support, which shall be forwarded for approval in accordance with Program procedures.

Should any inconsistencies, ambiguities, or deviations from the financing agreement be identified in the submitted documentation, CMDA shall request (via email and phone) that the beneficiary provide the necessary missing or clarifying documents within ten (10) business days. Any supplementary documents shall be annexed to the application file. Failure to comply shall result in the referral of the case to the Legal Department for appropriate action.

If the beneficiary has fully complied with the contractual provisions, the disbursement of the non-reimbursable financial support shall be carried out in accordance with the terms of the financing agreement and the provisions of the Program.

Depending on the nature of transactions made for the implementation of the investment project, the following documents shall be accepted as evidence for the beneficiary’s own contribution and for the utilization of the non-reimbursable financial support:

• sales and/or service contracts;
• tax invoices;
• payment orders/bank statements;
• delivery-acceptance acts for goods/services;
• customs declarations (invoice, CMR, etc.), where applicable;
• valuation reports of investment items, where applicable;
• breakdowns of accounting records showing the entry of the investment items into the Beneficiary’s books, where applicable;
• deliverables obtained through access to business development services, where applicable;
• any other relevant documents, as needed.

The deadlines for making investments, both from own resources and from the tranches of the non-reimbursable support, shall be set forth in the financing agreement.

In exceptional, justified, and documented cases, CMDA may consider requests for deadline extensions and shall prepare an internal memorandum regarding the appropriateness of such extensions.

Grounds for refusal of disbursement of non-reimbursable support:

The transfer of non-reimbursable financial support may be refused under the following circumstances:

• the beneficiary did not act in good faith, and the acquisition value of investment items was clearly inflated;
• the investment process lacked transparency or fairness and involved a conflict of interest, as defined in the Operational Manual;
• the completed investment does not match the items approved in the investment project and financing agreement;
• deadlines for completing investments and submitting required documentation were not met;
• the beneficiary refuses or avoids the monitoring visit and/or provides false or misleading documents or statements;
• the goods/services were acquired from individuals not engaged in lawful business activity;

the investment was carried out in violation of the financing agreement or applicable legislation.

Analysis and acceptance procedure

The IP CMDA will analyse the received confirmatory documents and ensure that the investments made correspond to the provisions of the investment project and the grant contract.

The confirmatory documents concerning the investments carried out shall be submitted to the IP CMDA e-mail address, scanned and countersigned with a qualified advanced electronic signature by the Beneficiary, or to the IP CMDA office.

The confirmatory documents must be accompanied by the original of the Beneficiary’s declaration on its own responsibility regarding the veracity of the documents submitted.

The IP CMDA will analyse the received confirmatory documents and will ensure that the investments made correspond to the provisions of the investment project and the grant contract.

Confirmatory documents relating to the investment will not be accepted which:

• contain corrections or other errors;
• are drawn up with the admission of conflicts of interest;
• do not relate to the investment items indicated in the grant contract;
• are obviously suspect.

Procedure for amending the Contract

The Grant Contract is binding on the signatory parties and may be modified (both as regards the time limit and other elements of the Grant Contract) only by written agreement of the parties, on the basis of a written request supported by firm and plausible arguments, sent in advance to the other contracting party.

The request for amendment shall be submitted in original by the Beneficiary and shall include a detailed description and justification of the amendment requested, with supporting documents attached, where appropriate.

The IP CMDA  will analyse the application submitted, will assess the reasons for the amendment and the extent of the amendment requested. If the Beneficiary requests a substantial modification to the provisions of the grant contract/investment project, the request shall be submitted to the subdivision responsible for the pre-financing appraisal for analysis and submission according to the pre-financing appraisal procedure and approval by the appraisal committee.

If the beneficiary requests a non-substantial amendment to the provisions of the grant contract/investment project, the PIU will prepare a memorandum, setting out its opinion on the appropriateness of amending the contract.

If the modification of the grant contract is approved, it will be done by concluding an additional agreement according to the approved model.

Semnarea acordurilor adiționale de modificare a contractelor de finanțare (în cazul modificării articolelor de investiții) poate avea loc doar după aprobarea prealabilă de către Consiliului de coordonare al Programului Municipal “Start pentru Tineri și Migranți” a modificărilor aplicate prevederilor contractuale.

Monitoring procedure

Monitoring actions start immediately after the completion of the investment project by the beneficiary, i.e. the end of the funding process and the submission of the set of confirmatory documents related to the investment. The monitoring period for Programme beneficiaries will be 24 months from the date of submission of the complete set of documents on the use of the allocated financial resources.

Monitoring is carried out in two stages: (i) post-financing monitoring and (ii) final monitoring:

• Post-financing monitoring – provides for a visit to the business site and aims to confirm the degree of execution of the investment, as well as the reality, legality and existence of the economic and financial operations. On the basis of the monitoring activities, a Post-financing Monitoring Sheet is drawn up, signed by the employee of the subdivision, which will be included in the original financing file. The post-financing monitoring sheet shall be accompanied by evidence of the existence of assets and their inclusion in the accounting records.
• Final monitoring – provides for a visit to the business site and involves an assessment of the achievement of the obligations assumed under the grant contract, including the achievement of result indicators. For the most effective assessment, final monitoring will include analysis of financial reports, tax statements, extracts from the register of legal entities and other relevant documents. Based on the monitoring activities, the Final Monitoring Sheet is prepared. This is accompanied by evidence of the existence of assets and their inclusion in the accounting records.

During monitoring visits, the beneficiary is obliged, according to the contractual conditions, to provide free access to the investment items procured under the investment project, but without hindering the economic activity of the company.

The monitoring is concluded with the drawing up and signing of the Final Monitoring Act, in duplicate, confirming the execution of the provisions of the financing contract, with the annexing of copies of the following documents:

• the extract from the State Register of Legal Entities / Sole Proprietors / Register of Small Farms;
• financial statements, unified tax statements for the last two periods of activity;
• the beneficiary’s affidavit on the number of employees;
• the deciphering of the analytical and synthetic accounts reflecting the bookkeeping of the investment items purchased under the Programme;
• other confirmatory documents relating to compliance with contractual provisions.