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Priority Groups

Providing grants to priority groups is a key part
of the EU4Business–EBRD Credit Line and its mission
to support Ukraine’s economy during wartime.
Targeted aid helps entrepreneurs successfully run their investment projects, create and preserve jobs, and contribute to long-term economic stability. The programme places strong emphasis on supporting businesses and individuals most affected by the war, including veterans and internally displaced persons, and aims to ensure that at least 50% of available investment incentives support priority group MSMEs.

Recognising their unique contribution and challenges, special investment incentives are available for veteran entrepreneurs and MSMEs affected by war, through the Veterans and War-Affected Persons Reintegration Window (VRW) and the Enterprise Renaissance Window (ERW), providing additional support on top of basic incentives.

Priority groups include micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that:

  • Are majority-owned or managed by priority group individuals; or/and
  • Employ priority group persons as at least 5% of their permanent staff; or/and
  • Provide services to priority groups, where these groups represent at least 10% of clients or revenues

War veteran entrepreneurs and veteran-led businesses

Who does this include?
  • Sole entrepreneurs who are war veterans
  • MSMEs that are majority owned (more than 50%) or led by war veterans
  • Businesses where war veterans make up a significant part of employees (more than 5%) or clients (more than 10%)
  • Immediate family members of war veterans (spouse, children or parents)
What support can you receive?
  • Up to 15% additional investment incentive on top of basic incentives

Learn more about the Veterans and War-Affected Persons Reintegration Window (VRW)

War-affected businesses

Who does this include?
  • Businesses that have been relocated due to Russia’s aggression
  • suffer from war damage and/or loss of assets due to Russia’s armed aggression, provided that the value of war-related losses or damages equals or exceeds 15% of the loan
  • provide photographic and other documentary evidence confirming occurrence, as well as the value of war-related losses or damages (“Verified Damage”)
What support can you receive?
  • Up to 15% additional investment incentive on top of basic incentives

Learn more about the Enterprise Renaissance Window (ERW)

IDPs/Returnees

Who does this include?
  • Businesses owned and/or led by entrepreneurs who were forced to leave their place of residence due to the war in Ukraine since 2014
  • Businesses and/or led by entrepreneurs who have returned to their home communities after displacement
  • Businesses servicing IDPs/Returnees to a certain extent
  • Applies to displacement related to the armed conflict, temporary occupation, widespread violence or human rights violations

Note: the respective category has strict definitions, to consult the legal terms, please access the following page

What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

People with Disabilities

Who does this include?
  • Businesses owned and/or led by people with long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory disabilities
  • Businesses serving people with long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory disabilities, to a certain extent

Note: the respective category has strict definitions, to consult the legal terms, please access the following page

What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Entrepreneurs from war-affected territories

Who does this include?
  • Businesses located in war-affected territories or those who relocated their operations from war-affected territories (as defined by the Government of Ukraine)
What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Women entrepreneurs

Who does this include?
  • Businesses where a woman holds the highest executive role
  • Businesses that are majority owned by women (more than 50%)
  • Businesses officially recognised as women-led or women-owned under Ukrainian regulations
What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Young entrepreneurs

Who does this include?
  • Businesses led by entrepreneurs under the age of 35
  • Businesses where people under 35 own more than 50% of shares
What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Sub-borrowers that lost their assets due to forfeiture/mobilization for state needs during martial law

Who does this include?
  • Sub-Borrowers whose assets were forfeited or mobilised by the Ukrainian Armed Forces or other authorities for state needs during martial law and who have not received compensation within 12 months
What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Small farms

Who does this include?
  • Farms or agricultural MSMEs registered in the State Agrarian Registry and the Unified State Register, cultivating less than 2,000 hectares of owned and/or leased land and meeting applicable environmental and animal-welfare standards
What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Start-ups

Who does this include?
  • MSMEs at the initial stage of their life cycle, not older than three years, with an innovative orientation and potential for rapid growth
What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Micro enterprises

Who does this include?
  • Enterprises with fewer than ten employees and annual turnover or balance-sheet total below €2 million
What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Companies supporting humanitarian demining

Who does this include?
  • MSMEs financing or undertaking eligible demining activities, technologies, equipment or related capacity-building investments
What support can you receive?
  • Priority consideration when applying for financing and incentives

Ready to apply?

Find the right pathway and start your application.

Simplified Approach

For standard investments using
pre-approved technologies

Fast-track process

Explore this pathway

Complex Approach

For tailored or larger investments requiring detailed assessment

Explore this pathway