Legal Eye: Paying for the labels
Obviously, this sage had not seen my feeble artistic attempts, which no doubt led me to choose a profession that requires verbal acumen and not artistic aptitude. If, however, you are trying to export goods to, for example, China and that picture happens to be a product certification allowing you to sell these goods in China, it may be worth more than its weight in gold.
As part of an overall plan to facilitate the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), EU funding is available to defray the costs of obtaining international and foreign product certifications. The amount available is up to zł.50,000.
Eligible certifications
Everywhere you look these days, goods are marked with various labels that are designed to provide certain assurances. In the case of children's clothing, beyond the enigmatic care instructions (perhaps we consumers could lobby for a course to explain why bleach should be marked as a triangle?), it may also contain a pictogram certifying that the clothing satisfies certain safety norms, such as flame-retardation. This second sort of certification is the eligible type.
In particular, funding is available with respect to obtaining two types of certifications: certificates of compliance with international norms or norms of a foreign market; and certifications or attests required to trade a good in a foreign market.
You may not receive funding, however, for any EU certifications that you may need for your goods. This aid is designed to encourage exports.
Returning to my children's clothing, let's say that I wanted to export some clothing from Poland to the US. I could apply for funding to reimburse the costs of obtaining the necessary US safety certifications for the clothes and even the costs of an ISO certification for my business.
Eligible costs
The litany of eligible costs is fairly comprehensive, including: consulting services; preparation and translation of technical documentation; transportation and insurance of product samples and technical document sent for certification testing; certification testing; and issuance of a product certification.
As with other EU funding, there is a co-payment obligation. In this case, the aid may not exceed more than 50 percent of the eligible costs or zł.50,000.
Who qualifies?
Before you start filling out that application, you should ascertain whether your business qualifies as an SME. In general, an SME must have less than 250 employees, an annual turnover of less than €40 (zł.160) million, and an annual balance sum of less than €27 (zł.108) million. Also, your business can't be a subsidiary of a large enterprise.
Aid is limited. Information I have seen on the 2005 government budget suggests that only 14,000 SMEs could obtain maximum funding in 2005 for obtaining certificates. In case you miss out this year, don't fret too much. The legislation allows funding to be granted up to June 30, 2007.
As part of an overall plan to facilitate the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), EU funding is available to defray the costs of obtaining international and foreign product certifications. The amount available is up to zł.50,000.
Eligible certifications
Everywhere you look these days, goods are marked with various labels that are designed to provide certain assurances. In the case of children's clothing, beyond the enigmatic care instructions (perhaps we consumers could lobby for a course to explain why bleach should be marked as a triangle?), it may also contain a pictogram certifying that the clothing satisfies certain safety norms, such as flame-retardation. This second sort of certification is the eligible type.
In particular, funding is available with respect to obtaining two types of certifications: certificates of compliance with international norms or norms of a foreign market; and certifications or attests required to trade a good in a foreign market.
You may not receive funding, however, for any EU certifications that you may need for your goods. This aid is designed to encourage exports.
Returning to my children's clothing, let's say that I wanted to export some clothing from Poland to the US. I could apply for funding to reimburse the costs of obtaining the necessary US safety certifications for the clothes and even the costs of an ISO certification for my business.
Eligible costs
The litany of eligible costs is fairly comprehensive, including: consulting services; preparation and translation of technical documentation; transportation and insurance of product samples and technical document sent for certification testing; certification testing; and issuance of a product certification.
As with other EU funding, there is a co-payment obligation. In this case, the aid may not exceed more than 50 percent of the eligible costs or zł.50,000.
Who qualifies?
Before you start filling out that application, you should ascertain whether your business qualifies as an SME. In general, an SME must have less than 250 employees, an annual turnover of less than €40 (zł.160) million, and an annual balance sum of less than €27 (zł.108) million. Also, your business can't be a subsidiary of a large enterprise.
Aid is limited. Information I have seen on the 2005 government budget suggests that only 14,000 SMEs could obtain maximum funding in 2005 for obtaining certificates. In case you miss out this year, don't fret too much. The legislation allows funding to be granted up to June 30, 2007.
