The first Accelerator of Social Entrepreneurship – Centru region was launched in Chisinau with EU support

Today, July 29, 2022, with the financial support of the European Union, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova (CCI) launched the Social Business Accelerator, Centru region – a regional hub for supporting social entrepreneurship, which will contribute to economic growth and well-being of citizens and communities.

The Hub was opened through a grant of EUR 45,000 offered by the European Union, obtained through an open competition by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova.

„Social business is a business concept oriented towards solving problems in the society in which these businesses operate, a concept that is widely and successfully practiced in the member states of the European Union. Economic inclusion of young people and vulnerable people is one of the key benefits of social entrepreneurship. The European Union supports the launch and extension of the concept of social business in the Republic of Moldova, including through grants. However, the sustainability of social business is crucial, and in this context the Social Business Accelerator is launched and we hope that through its expertise and support, social enterprises will develop successfully in the Republic of Moldova, for the benefit of people.“, said Gintautas Baranauskas, deputy head of the cooperation section, delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova.

According to CCI President Sergiu Harea, during the last years the CCI of the Republic of Moldova, which represents the interests of business in the Republic of Moldova, has been fully involved in the development of social entrepreneurship and within the regional center launched today entrepreneurs will benefit from all services and support tools in business.  

“The purpose of the Social Business Accelerator developed by CCI is to support and encourage the involvement of entrepreneurs and NGOs in solving social problems. In recent years, the social economy has become one of the most frequently addressed topics, and due to the support of European partners social enterprises have rapidly developed. Now that the Republic of Moldova has obtained the status of candidate country for accession to the EU, we are to transpose European standards and practices at the national level, to ensure a normative framework favorable to the launch and conduct of the social business and to promote the products and services of the entrepreneurs which contribute to the involvement in economic activities of people belonging to disadvantaged groups. During two years of project implementation, CCI aims to focus efforts in the field of Social Economy and ensure the sustainability of the project through the continuous development of the Social Business Accelerator both in Centru region and in other localities”, Sergiu Harea, president of the CCI, said. 

Sorin Mereacre, President of the East European Foundation „It is a pleasure to be here today at the official opening of the third Regional Business Support Center for Social Enterprises, out of the 4 that are created within the project “Harnessing the CSOs’ to promote and develop the social entrepreneurship in Moldova”. The project is financed by the European Union, co-financed by Sweden and is implemented by the East Europe Foundation in partnership with the Contact Center and Keystone Moldova. The development and expansion of social businesses will increase job creation, involve people from disadvantaged groups in economic activities and facilitate their access to the resources and social services they need. We are confident that the Center launched today will become an accelerator of social business and will contribute to the economic growth and the well-being of citizens and communities”.

The primary activities of this accelerator are creation and provision of the development services of at least 20 social enterprises using modern means of entrepreneurial training, such as the use of the digital platform of the CCI, launching an Academy of social entrepreneurs, creating a Register of social enterprises on the platform Register of CCI members, the possibility of participation with a specialized stand at the largest national exhibition “Made in Moldova” organized by CCI or in the online environment – Virtual Exhibitions etc.

At the same time, the Chamber of Commerce and industry aims to promote the interests of social entrepreneurship on the existing platform of public-private dialogue, where the most current topics and initiatives to harmonize the national legislation with the one in the EU will be addressed.

The Hub was inaugurated within the project “Capitalizing on the potential of civil society for the promotion and development of the social entrepreneurship in the Republic of Moldova”, financed by the European Union, co-financed by Sweden and implemented by the East Europe Foundation in partnership with Keystone Moldova and Contact Center.

Background information:

The social business domain covers topics such as the creation of decent jobs, social security, social protection and inclusion, poverty reduction, equality between women and men, inclusion of people with special needs, children and families, youth, the elderly and minorities, access to health services, justice, education, culture and sport, volunteering and active citizenship. Its main objective, common to all subfields, is to put people on an equal footing at the heart of social policy (source: https://www.eesc.europa.eu/ro/policies/policy-areas/social-affairs ).

The project “We capitalize on the potential of civil society for the promotion and development of social entrepreneurship in the Republic of Moldova” funded by the European Union and co-financed by Sweden aims to provide economic and social opportunities to disadvantaged people through the prism of social entrepreneurship with the active involvement of civil society. The project aims to strengthen the capacities of civil society in the Republic of Moldova in creating social enterprises, which will contribute to the economic and sustainable growth of communities. The project has a budget of over 1,123,000 euros and is to be implemented by December 2024.

For further information: www.antreprenoriatsocial.md or presa@chamber.md, tel. 068 30 03 04, or Dina Sevcenco, Program Coordinator, dina.sevcenco@eef.md, tel. +37369275788.