Regulation on Determining the Program for Supporting the Improvement of Product and Service Safety and Quality

The Government of the Republic of Serbia has adopted the Regulation on Determining the Program for Supporting the Improvement of Product and Service Safety and Quality (“Official Gazette” No. 75/2924, hereinafter: “Regulation”), by which the Government of Serbia establishes a Support Program aimed at improving the safety and quality of products and services of business entities (hereinafter: “Program”).

The need for the introduction of the Program is a response to the negative consequences of the COVID-19 crisis, which caused a significant reduction in business activity and revenue, creating a need for support in the economy, particularly for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

The Program is intended for the co-financing of the following (eligible) project activities:

1. Conducting procedures for assessing product conformity with prescribed requirements;
2. Regulating business operations in accordance with the requirements of recognized management standards;
3. Conducting the accreditation procedure for conformity assessment bodies (CAB) with the Accreditation Body of Serbia (ATS).

The total available non-refundable funds allocated for the implementation of the Program have been provided by the Law on the Budget of the Republic of Serbia for 2024 (“Official Gazette of RS”, No. 92/2023) in the amount of 90 million dinars. These funds will be granted to beneficiaries as co-financing of 40% or 60% of the eligible costs, excluding value-added tax, depending on the size of the enterprise and the type of costs being co-financed, until the funds are exhausted.

As a rule, co-financing up to 60% is intended for micro and small enterprises and entrepreneurs, while 40% is for medium-sized enterprises. Exceptionally, regardless of the size of the business entities, the following is provided:

1. 60% co-financing for the initial accreditation costs of CAB;
2. 40% co-financing for the costs of renewing the accreditation of CAB.

The maximum amount of reimbursement funds that a single beneficiary can receive for one or more activities is:

• 1,500,000.00 dinars for the conformity assessment of Class III medical devices;
• 300,000.00 dinars for covering accreditation costs;
• 1,000,000.00 dinars for other eligible activities.

The minimum amount of approved funds is 100,000.00 dinars.
The right to participate in the Program is granted to beneficiaries who cumulatively meet the following general conditions:

1. They have been registered with the Business Registers Agency for at least 2 years at the time of application;
2. The beneficiary is a business entity, i.e., a micro/small/medium legal entity or entrepreneur;
3. No bankruptcy, liquidation, or privatization proceedings have been initiated against them;
4. The beneficiary has fulfilled all tax and contribution obligations;
5. The beneficiary is not in financial difficulty;
6. The beneficiary’s business does not belong to certain areas such as: the production and trade of tobacco products, production of weapons and other equipment, etc.

The specific conditions are related to the service provider (responsible persons from whom the beneficiary procures services in accordance with the Program), who must be specialized in performing the relevant services and must possess specific documentation required by the Program.

The applicant may submit only one application, which may include one or more project activities, which must be specified in the application.
Upon the adoption of the Program, the Ministry signs an agreement on the implementation of the Program with the Agency, which then announces a Public Call for participation in the Program, after which applications can be submitted.

Applications are submitted electronically by creating a user account, and each applicant submits all the required documentation on the Agency’s portal. After electronic submission, the applications are forwarded to the Commission for review and evaluation, which proceeds with the assessment of the applications.

The final decision is made by the Director of the Agency, and applicants have the right to appeal within 15 days of receiving the decision, with the appeal being decided by the Minister of Economy.

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